Chapter 5: The Cult of Scales
After a much needed break in adventuring work, the group came upon a job posted from the temple of Bahamut outside Dragonwatch. A Dragonborn knight named Maedor the Silver had gone missing, and they were hoping to hire adventurers to find him. The group gathered supplies and headed out to the temple, arriving that evening. They found the remote temple tucked behind some woods off the brookstone road. Its clerics were mostly dragonborn, with some dwarves and a high elf knight. They met with the high priest Taldor the Pious (a green dragonborn), who offered them a warm meal before discussing the job.
While they waited for dinner, the group explored the temple compound. They spoke with the high elf Knight, who revealed the missing knight was one of his trainees and the only other knight serving the temple currently. Maedor, who always had a keen inquisitive mind, had traveled to Dragonwatch to investigate rumours of Draconian activity there. His last missive had mentioned the town of Sywell, but that was 6 months ago. After dinner, Taldor explained the situation fully. He explained that Draconians were followers of Tiamat who had been granted special boons by the evil dragon goddess, allowing them to transform into draconic humanoid creatures somewhat resembling dragonborn but more feral. He told them the tale of the sisters Bahamut and Tiamat, and how Tiamat had conspired with Lopt to destroy Old Sydonia. For her treachery, Bahamut had banished her to the first layer of hell (Avernus). He also spoke of Bahamut's gift of magic to mankind, and how the cult of Tiamat claimed their queen had done the deed. Torbjorn took offense to this claim, and caused some brief tension as his religious views clashed with Taldor's. The priest of Bahamut remained civil, explaining that their faiths were not opposed but intermingled in the history of the world. Torbjorn damaged a door as he left the dining hall, and Thrain repaired it. Nevertheless, Taldor offered them quarter for the night.
In the morning, the group left on the brookstone road. Near Brookstone (and a Sydonian fort nearby), they awakened to thick fog through which a group of Elven Elk riders suddenly dashed. They heard gun fire from the direction of the fort, followed by screams and then silence. The fog seemed to lift as the battle ended, and the group decided not to investigate and push on to Brookstone instead. In town, they gathered information about Maedor. He had passed through town 6 months ago on his way to Sywell, and purchased large quantities of silver powder from the general store (a component of holy water). After visiting the alchemist and purchasing a mysterious substance from a Firbolg named Cú Chulainn, they retired for the evening at the southside inn. They departed the following morning for Sywell.
On the road to the village, they encountered a starved and maddened giant and slew the creature to prevent it from harming others. Torbjorn and Thrain were badly wounded in the battle, but Torbjorn's healing magic restored them. They arrived in Sywell later that day, and found the place eerie. There were no children about, and no elderly folk. Torbjorn burst into the tavern (the rusy spoon) and asked them where the children were. Rasper diffused the situation, and Torbjorn visited the temple of Thunnor while the rest of the group talked with the townsfolk. The villagers seemed to dodge questions about the children and elderly in the village, and insisted nothing was wrong (though Rasper could tell otherwise). Meanwhile, Torbjorn found the temple deserted and unused. As the group gathered at the inn, he called the village to mass and chastised them for the state of their temple. He called upon a thunderous burst above them, but they were unmoved. At the inn, the group found the innkeep similarly dubious. Dox snuck around the village, trying to overhear conversations or learn more but saw and heard nothing out of the ordinary. Around dinner time, the night shift for the saltpetre mine left for the mine as the day shift returned and visited the tavern.
The group decided not to eat anything at the inn, and retired to their room. They kept watch throughout the night, and in the middle of the night they were attacked by a group of Draconians. Torbjorn slew several of them with a thunderous spell, and found that they turned to stone when slain and emitted a poisonous gas that turned others to stone. They kept one of them alive, knocking him out. His form turned back to a human, and revealed him to be the innkeep Jamys. They interrogated him, and discovered that the town had converted to service of Tiamat. A strange undead elven prophet had come to them and persuaded them to forsake their gods and serve her. As a show of faith, the town had sacrificed the children and the elderly to Tiamat. He referred to a "great work" they were doing for her, and mentioned a Draconian overseer in the mine named Daxos (where Maedor was imprisoned). Having learned all they needed to know, they killed Jamys (who turned to acid and exploded) and barricaded their room before finishing their rest.
In the morning, the group ventured out into the village and found it deserted. Deep grooves in the ground leading from the mine to the north road seemed to suggest carts and wagons laden with something had left town. After finding a map of the mine in the tavern, they ventured into the mine to deal with the remaining Draconians there and uncover their plot...
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