Session 27: The Lullaby

General Summary

Arrival in Hearthglen

We touched down in Hearthglen, a city of towering spires and steam-filled streets, its skyline broken by the shimmering dome of the Orlanthus Grand Menagerie. It didn’t take long to find Curator Vessandra Fael, the elven caretaker who seemed barely holding herself together. She recounted the mystery of the vanishing creatures, her voice tight with stress as she explained that if we didn’t solve this soon, the Menagerie might be forced to close its gates for good.
Our job was clear—find out what was taking these creatures, where they were going, and why.

Investigating the Menagerie

We split up, speaking to various key staff members who might have insight:

Torrek Feldun (Head Keeper)

A gruff dwarf, Torrek was a wealth of historical knowledge. He explained that the Menagerie had existed for centuries, almost as long as Hearthglen itself. When we asked about old records or hidden passages, he mentioned the First Hall, a long-sealed section of the Menagerie once used by the original Keepers.

Beastmaster Relai

A woman fiercely protective of her charges, Relai allowed us to examine the creature holding chambers. We checked the wards, confirming they were still active, meaning whatever was taking the creatures wasn’t breaking in or out—but simply… disappearing them. That’s when we made a startling discovery— Crown. Warby’s griffon, who had been lost during our battle with the Ankou, was sitting calmly in one of the enclosures, as if he had been there all along. The records showed that he had appeared weeks ago, long before we had even reached Eastwind. Something strange was at play.

Stablehand Luma

Luma, the youngest of the staff, confirmed our suspicions about the statues moving. She had secretly followed them one night and swore they were forming up to make some sort of symbol...
With everything aligning toward the First Hall, we knew our next step.

Exploring the First Hall

Torrek granted us access, though he warned us that the First Hall was unstable—an understatement, as it turned out. The chamber was riddled with volcanic activity, making the air thick with sulfur and the ground uneven with cracks venting bursts of heat.
We carefully navigated deeper inside, finding remnants of old records—a brief entry from a Stonekeeper, detailing something called the Keeper’s Lullaby, as well as an unfinished letter, its writer seemingly interrupted mid-thought. Whatever had happened here, it had been abandoned in a hurry.
We weren’t alone.

Ambush in the Stone Halls

Something moved beneath us.
A moment later, the floor shifted, rippled like water, and then something shot up from the stone—a massive rock elemental, seamlessly blending into the environment. Before we could fully react, more of them emerged, striking from the walls, the floor, even the ceiling.
They were difficult to track, slipping back into the stone at will. Our attacks barely found purchase before they vanished again. But after cutting one of them down, the remainder scattered back into the darkness.

The First Keeper’s Chamber

We pressed on, the air growing colder, despite the volcanic heat outside.
Then—ticking.
A steady, mechanical rhythm, too precise to be natural. As we entered the First Keeper’s chamber, I felt the hair on my arms rise. Something was here.
Then the room shook.
A massive Clockwork Dragon lurched to life, golden gears spinning, its core glowing with built-up energy. From the walls, two Clockwork fighters emerged, their eyes pulsing with light, blades extending from their arms. Worse still, rows of terra-cotta warriors began cracking apart, their ceramic forms shattering to reveal intricate clockwork designs beneath.
Clearly, these were the First Hall’s last line of defense.
And we had just triggered them.

Campaign

The New Dawnbreakers

Protagonists

Sunny Grannach

Brazen White Bulb Conquering Red Blossom

Dulb the Deckhand

Dulb's sheet

Level 13 Swashbuckler.

Health

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Goq-Ixai

Report Date

01 Mar 2025