James

James as he appeared in 1453

James was a Firbolg Cleric who lived in Blackstone Forest.

#### History

James lived with his family in a quiet, Silvanus-worshipping enclave deep in the forest until his parents were felled by disease. In 1453, James left his home, following the voice of the forest, which led him to a group of young students from the Royal Green Dragon Academy. James approached the group, where he met Agnes, Grub, Grog, and Xendon. Although James did not share a language with the group, Xendon was capable of telepathic speech, which he used to communicate with him. When Xendon told James of their situation, the Firbolg decided that he would follow them on their quest to the city of Heraldur. The party was able to convince the guards to grant them access to the underground portion of the city by telling them that they had arrived to see Karmiir Metalmace.

Karmiir Metalmace soon arrived and, once the students told him that they had been sent by Toby Greybeard to deliver the orb (Xendon bore a symbol of Boccob as proof), he told them that it would be best to speak to the King and sent them to the Royal Palace on board the spellrail. During their journey, the Spellrail was boarded by soldiers sent by Blackthorne. Although they defeated their attackers, the students realized too late that the driver had been thrown from the spellrail and it crashed through a wall into the courtyard of the Royal Palace, where they encountered Julia Stormwhisper in her Air Elemental Form. Although the crash put many of the palace officials on their guard, Karmiir Metalmace was still able to persuade the King to grant the party an audience with him.

When they entered the throne room, the students were surprised to see Blackthorne already there, speaking to the king. They asked the king what he was doing and he told them that he had been there to confirm that he was the legal owner of a tower on the outskirts of the city. Although the party told him of Blackthorne's various misdeeds, the skeptical king sent them to Blackthorne's tower to collect evidence, promising to take action against the Paladin if the party brought back sufficient proof.

The group, along with Karmiir Metalmace arrived at the tower where Blackthorne, who had prepared for their arrival, sent a Hezrou and a Glabrezu after them. While Metalmace banished the demons, Grub snuck into the tower, where he was attacked by Blackthorne, who managed to steal the orb from him. As Blackthorne took the Orb to the highest room of the tower and began Scrix's ritual to supplant the magic gods, James and the rest of the students attacked him. Although Xendon, Agnes, and Grub were all severely injured by Blackthorne, James managed to defeat him and claimed his sword, which he used to destroy the altar, binding Scrix within the orb. When the altar was destroyed, Blackthorne's body crumbled into dust, although James collected the remains in an urn and buried them nearby.

After the defeat of Blackthorne, James and the rest of the students were awarded medals for their heroic action. Once the ceremonies were complete. the group returned to the Royal Green Dragon academy, where Agnes and James, welcomed by Toby Greybeard, enrolled themselves in the Academy. Later, Agnes, who had recovered the Ring of the Elder Elemental Eye from Blackthorne's remains, gave the ring to Julia Stormwhisper, breaking the curse on the latter.

Several months later, the students returned to the academy for another term, only to discover that Toby Greybeard, who apparently had business to attend to elsewhere, had left them in the care of Carnelis. They immediately noticed that Grog was absent from the opening speech, delivered by Morkosk who was filling in for Toby as headmaster. After investigating his quarters, the students discovered that an Eglish nobleman by the name of Molval Cragwatcher was somehow involved in Grog's disappearance and, despite Carnelis' best efforts, the students, along with Julia Stormwhisper, set off aboard the Aurora to search for him.

After an encounter with a Chimaera over the Misty Moors, Agnes and James ended up on a hill surrounded by grazing sheep. Noticing a small, orphaned lamb, James decided to adopt the creature and, upon returning to the Aurora, took it with him on his search for Grog.

With the help of Julia Stormwhisper, the students arrived at Molval Cragwatcher's hunting lodge in the Glaive's Edge Mountain Range. After defeating a pair of Trolls who had noticed the Aurora landing in a cluster of trees near the Academy, the group entered the lodge, where they encountered Molval Cragwatcher. While Xendon and Agnes made small talk with the noble (with James just standing by awkwardly), Grub, mistrusting Cragwatcher, snuck off to search for Grog. Sure enough, Xendon and James fell unconscious and were imprisoned in the dungeon after drinking poisoned tea, although Agnes was strangely immune.

When they awoke in the dungeon, James and Xendon discovered that Grog was imprisoned there with them. While the trio were discovered and rescued by Grub, Agnes, along with Tralold and Molval Cragwatcher, hunted deer in the forest nearby. The three students snuck up out of the dungeon and into the kitchen, where they were attacked by a quarter of chefs, who were, in fact, members of the Cult of Tiamat in disguise. Xendon slew the four chefs with a Fireball spell, destroying most of the kitchen in the process. Searching through the house, the students discovered a group of tapestries in a locked room upstairs, which contained a group of disturbing tapestries depicting dragons slaying various humanoids. Concluding that Cragwatcher was a Cultist of Tiamat, the students made their escape, although Molval, returning to the lodge, stopped them before they could reach the Aurora. The students managed to get past him and reach the Aurora, although they were unable to flee the lodge as Molval had taken James' sheep hostage. Explaining that he had been expecting a visitor, Molval insisted that they make up for the damage they had done, including killing the four chefs and destroying the meal that they had been preparing. The students reluctantly prepared a meal for Molval and his guest although, once Kaemon Firegloom arrived, the two cultists of Tiamat turned on the students. During the battle, Molval Cragwatcher came close to killing Grub, although Julia Stormwhisper impaled him from behind with a rapier. Alone against the students, Kaemon Firegloom retreated, making use of a *Fly* spell to escape.

After the battle, Agnes, who had taken a liking to the Cultist, asked James *Revifify* Molval Cragwatcher, to which James reluctantly agreed. Shortly afterward, the students left aboard the Aurora, seeking to return to the Royal Green Dragon Academy, although Agnes insisted on staying behind.

That night, as the ship flew over Redbreak, Julia Stormwhisper and Grog were alarmed to find that a Blue Dragon was attacking the settlement and alerted the rest of the students, who decided to venture into the town. After fighting their way through a group of humanoid raiders (mostly mercenaries hired by the Cult of Tiamat), the students came to the keep where they spoke to the town govenor. Having learned from the govenor that a group of townsfolk were trapped within a nearby temple of Berronar Truesilver, the students decided to rescue them. Xendon, Grog, and Julia entered the temple through a secret tunnel near the keep, where they encountered Ann. Meanwhile, James led the townsfolk still in the streets toward the keep and Grub snuck off to the Aurora, which he crashed into the dragon, which flew off, swearing revenge.

In the temple, Grog and Ann guided those trapped in the temple through the secret tunnel back to the keep, while Xendon and Julia Stormwhisper battled a group of cultists who had managed to break through the building's fortifications. The pair managed to capture a cultist named Angus Nickledreamer, to whom they offered freedom in exchange for information. After learning from Angus that the raid was conducted by Tiamat-worshipping cultist led by a Wyrmspeaker called Lalzuran Prideclaw who sought to gather an enormous treasure hoard worthy of the Dragon Queen. After interrogating the Cultist, the students were approached by Sariel Stormblood, a squire of Edwin Mountainbrace, who told them that the two knights, who had seen the attack on Redbreak from a distance, had been ambushed by Cultists on their way to lend aid. Although she escaped, Sariel sustained several injuries in the battle and her master was captured. Sariel, who was too weak to pursue the cultists on her own, asked the students for help in rescuing Sir Edwin. The students, hoping to track down the cultists, eagerly agreed.

Following the tracks left behind through the countryside, the students traveled east until they came across a secluded hollow that the Cult of Tiamat was using as a camp. Grub snuck into the camp and found sir Edwin tied to a stake. While Grub untied the captive knight, James and Xendon attacked the camp's small guard tower as a distraction. After a short battle with the Cultists of Tiamat, which ended in Xendon burning down most of the camp, the students escaped with Sir Mountainbrace, although they were pursued by Lalzuran Prideclaw, who struck them with a *Fireball*. Impressed by the students' heroic actions, Ann offered to join them on their journeys. Once they had returned to Redbreak, Grub, who had befriended Sir Mountainbrace, told him of his wife disappearance and, from the knight's uplifting words, became inspired anew to search for her. Grub, after examining the locations marked on the map, decided to investigate a castle belonging to Torlor Dathrak, which was located in Eglor. Telling his companions of his plan, the group decided first to travel to Heraldur, in order to collect a platoon of soldiers, then made the journey over the border into Eglor. After a perilous crossing of the Glaive's Edge into Eglor, the group came across a rift leading to the Underdark. Ann, who needed Tessadyle Fungus to prolong her life, asked Grub and James, as well as an Uswonian Corporal named Branrik Blackdigger to accompany her down the rift into the Underdark while Xendon, Grog, and Julia led the remaining soldiers on to Torlor's castle.

Under Branrik's guidance, the group found their way to the Chapel, where Ann asked its organ-playing Mind Flayer inhabitant politely for a sample of Tessadyle Fungus. The aberration initially agreed, but, once it had enclosed her in the back room of the chapel, ordered its Chuul henchmen to seize her so that it may inject her with an insanity-inducing serum (concocted from the brain fluids of other insane creatures) and devour her mind. While Grub, too frightened to enter the chapel, hid outside, and James found himself being terrorized by the lunatics the Mind Flayer kept imprisoned, Corporal Blackdigger burst into the back room of the chapel and attacked the Chuul that was holding Ann, giving her an opportunity to escape. Ann then dodged out of the creature's grasp, seized a growth of the fungus, and made a dash for the window. Although she was stunned by the Mind Flayer's psionic attacks, Grub, James, and Corporal Blackdigger managed to fight off the aberrations long enough for her to make her escape. As he followed his escaping companions, however, Grub was seized by the Mind Flayer. Before the creature could consume his brain, however, Branrik attacked it with his warhammer. While Grub, James, and Ann fled with the fungus, the corporal stayed behind, to hold off the Mind Flayer and the surviving Chuul. Although he fought bravely, he was killed.

A few days after the incident at the chapel, the three adventurers managed to catch up with Xendon and the rest of the party and made camp on a hill overlooking the castle. Grub and Xendon, under the effect of an *Invisibility* spell, teleported into the upper levels of the castle and began to search for Escrula, while Ann and James approached the main gate in order to distract the guards. Grub and Xendon (after fighting their way past a group of Deathlocks) discovered a room in which Escula was contained by a *Prismatic Wall*. Escrula, who was being forced to try to re-create the orb, was in the process of concocting a Wild Magic Liquid, when Xendon mustered enough energy to dispel the Prismatic Wall, leaving himself drained. As the three fled the tower, they fell under attack by another group of Deathlocks, one of which managed to gravely injure Escrula with a *Fireball* spell, prompting Grub to carry her. Just as they were about to make their escape, Torlor Dathrak appeared and attacked, taking advantage of the *Time Stop* spell to recapture Escrula. During his battle with the wizard, Grub signaled for the platoon of dwarven soldiers he had brought with him to attack. James and Ann led these troops into battle, doing battle with cultists and a Glabrezu demon, which they soon defeated. After Xendon saved Grub, who had been dumped in a ditch by Torvald Simpworth, the party fled the castle into the nearby forest.

Returning to the Academy on foot, the students (minus Grog and Julia Stormwhisper) were tasked by Carnelis with tracking down a group of Cultists of Tiamat (part of the same cell who had attacked Redbreak). Following the cultists' trail into the Xaspenian Shield Mountain Range, the students were attacked by Dondrirog the White Dragon, who had been tasked with guarding the peak of Mount Gloomshear by the Cult of Tiamat. After defeating and subduing the dragon and plundering its hoard (using a *Saddle of the Cavalier* they found among the dragon's treasure to restrain it), the party continued to the mountain's summit, where they found a Cloud Giant castle, owned by Johsmohr. Approaching the castle on Dondrirog's back, and descending stealthily to investigate, the party questioned a Cloud Giant servant named Benvolio and discovered that Johsmohr, who had abandoned his faith in the Giant Gods, was helping the Cult of Tiamat, allowing them to use his flying castle to transport enormous amounts of treasure over the Xaspenian shield. Confronting Johsmohr, the students attacked, with Ann ultimately pushing him from the fortress. Just before he fell to his death (unable to save himself with magic thanks to James), Johsmohr claimed that a great upheaval was coming for Giantkind. Leaving Benvolio at the helm, the students descended into the lower levels of the castle to do battle with the cult of Tiamat.

In the castle's cellars, the students discovered a stockpile of wealth the Cultists had stolen from people across the Uswonian countryside and came face-to-face with Lalzuran Prideclaw. After defeating the Half Dragon and claiming the Black Dragon Mask, the party assisted King Thoradin Goldflaw in returning the treasure to its original owners. Entrusting the castle to Benvolio, the students returned to the Royal Green Dragon Academy to discover that Toby Greybeard had been rescued. Toby revealed that he had been abducted by the Cult of Scrix, who were in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramid of Amasis. The students rushed to the pyramid, travelling through the Misty Moors, and into The Lonely Steppe.

After negotiating peacefully with a wandering tribe of Tlincalli, the students found their way to the Pyramid of Amasis, only to discover that the Cult of Scrix had already arrived. Xendon and Ann, making use of a *Dimension Door* spell, teleported to the summit of the Pyramid, arriving beside a sarcophagus. Making use of another *Dimension Door* to escape from Torlor Dathrak, who had been about to claim the *Talisman of the Sphere*, the students fled into the desert, although Dathrak managed to kill Ann and trap Grub through the use of his *Dark Star* spell.

Xendon and James eventually arrived in Dellodahr, where they battled Glass Shatter, who had been paid to kill them by Torlor Dathrak. The assassin and his two companions were captured by the city watch and Xendon and James, in search of a *Teleportation Circle* visited the Diamond Dragon, where they fell into a trap and were captured by Torlor Dathrak. Meanwhile Grub, who managed to escape the clutches of the Cult of Scrix with the help of Grog, travelled toward Dellodahr, as he had been instructed to by Xendon's *Sending* spell. Grub and Grog, after defeating Baroglar, one of Torlor Dathrak's henchmen, learned that their companions had been captured and set out once again into the desert in search of them. Xendon and James, taking advantage of a Purple Worm attack on the Cult's desert camp to escape, reunited with them a few days later. Being tracked by the cult, the students were later attacked by a group of Werebears sent to kill them. It was only through these creatures' gloating that the students realized that, while Xendon and James were in a magical stupor, Torlor Dathrak had stolen the Talisman. Hoping to learn more of the Cult's plans, the group took one of the Werebears, who called himself Rumble, prisoner. When night fell and James was keeping watch over the party's camp, a Doppelganger arrived and set Rumble free. James, hoping to resolve the matter quickly, set out to recapture the Werebear. However, unbeknownst to the rest of the students, he was killed by the Doppelganger, who assumed his identity.