Chapter 24 - Scourge of the Black Knights

General Summary

The Dragonblazers, now within the Church of Amagus, became curious if it was safe to escape yet. Slytoff peaked outside, seeing terrible, black vines growing around the streets of the city, with citizens running away. Tequila and Slytoff analyzed the vines, figuring out they were magical in nature. Asking the priests of Amagus, they wondered if it was the result of a dragon's tampering. The party then asked the priests if there was a way to investigate the nature of the vines. The priests gave the party access to a sealed off sewer, stating that King Boerhtric centuries ago demanded they never open it up, lest a demon escape. The party desired to enter anyways. Slytoff started it up by casting firebolt into the sewer, to burn away the methane gas and anything inside of it. Then, the party climbed down.
Into the sewer, it did not take long before the party came across the mutilated dead body of the thief Wulfric threw into the sewer. It was possessed by a Dybukk, and accompanied by dragon-like devils called Abishais. The Dybukk told the party they were stalled enough: Lady Qenlynn was beginning her transformation into a dragon. Slytoff tried to pass, pretending to be a priest of Tiamat, and was allowed to leave the party. Then the devils surrounded Tequila, a priest of Amagus and an enemy. The Abishai also back-stabbed Slytoff and the devils attacked the party. The party would be triumphant, but Tequila would be wounded. The party healed, and Slytoff began to crawl down an abandoned sewage pipe by shrinking himself. He poked through at the other side, seeing the Black Knights battling guards above.
The party then continued down the hall, seeing writing upon the wall. Slytoff managed to translate the Old Common for the party:

The Children of Keller once feared the Devil of Chains. He ensnared the greatest warriors of our time. Thus the Children of Keller cried out to Amagus for help. Instead, the great king Beorhtric received a sword from a stone, in the caves of Drulikak. The sword, called Fatebender, vanquished his enemies from the face of Talamh. As the champion of fate, Beorhtric listened to the cries of his Keller kin, and faced the evil Lord of the Chains.

Further ahead into the sewer, they indeed found the prison of the Lord of the Chains. He was being cut down by bearded devils. The Lord of the Chains taunted the party, saying if King Beorhtric could not defeat him, then neither could they. The Lord of the Chains wrapped the party up in spiked chains across the room, causing them to become grappled. However, with Riley, Gilliam, and Teq dealing with the Bearded Devils, Slytoff and Wulfric focused on defeating the Lord of the Chains. Teq even made a blow on the Lord of the Chains! However, it was Slytoff casting Magic Missile which killed him. With the Lord of the Chains defeated, Teq brought the other priests of Amagus to cause a ritual and ensure he was destroyed for good. Then, the party found another exit from the sewer. This exit was near the city's north gates, but unfortunately for them, Black Knights and a terrifying adult Black Dragon guarded it.
Wulfric led the charge, leaving the sewer grate and getting into a rage. The black dragon, named Ydrith the Devourer, told the party they were fools for even trying to defeat him. The Black Knights descended upon the party within the thorns. Gilliam, braver than usual, flew up toward Ydrith and began to stab at him. Riley attempted to banish the dragon, but that failed. Slytoff and Teq began to run low on their magical power, thus were caught in a pickle. The dragon Ydrith blasted Riley and Wulfric with it's acid breath, severely wounding them, and then a few seconds later made a wing attack to knock them off their feet. Riley and Slytoff would be knocked unconscious, and the Black Knights surrounded Teq and Wulfric.
Wulfric and Teq kept fighting the knights while Gilliam was stabbing away at the dragon, but the dragon did wound Gilliam with tail attacks. Eventually, Wulfric would be knocked out by the dragon's claw, leaving a wounded Teq and Gilliam left. Tequila spared the lives of Wulfric and Riley when the dragon began to attack. By some sort of miracle, however, Slytoff suddenly woke back up, making a last attempt to kill the dragon. He blasted the dragon with Magic Missiles, promptly killing the beast with the magical force. Then, Gilliam swooped in and killed the last knight. Keller's Coast did not fall to the hand of the dragons.
Much of the party was gravely injured when the spikes suddenly disappeared. And, from the North Gate, the armies of Lysandus busted through. King Mortimer was leading the army. He met with the party, stating that the Danen did a surprise attack from the north when he was travelling with his army, and that a dragon stalled them from entering Keller's Coast. He was astounded to see the dead Ydrith. The party proposed a celebration, but King Mortimer said that would need to wait, as the Danen had taken hold of Amagus Tower with the Black Knights. He requested the party to find the spirit of Beorhtric, at Castle Drulikak, in hopes the ghostly army would help them in the final stretch.

Rewards Granted

For their efforts, the party only got a measly 100 gold pieces each, but their title as Dragonlords has been even more gratified.

Character(s) interacted with

• The Lord of the Chains, who the party vanquished, unlike old King Beorhtric.

• The dragon Ydrith, called the Devourer. He was placed in commands of Qenlynn's forces near Keller's Coast, hoping on reclaiming the ancient human city. Why? Because it was the mark of men's liberation from dragon rule. If the dragons could take over Keller's Coast, with Lysandus' navy, the morale for mankind would certainly be weakened. Fortunately for humanity, Ydrith was slain.

Date (in world)

May 27th, 5689.

Report Date

24 Jun 2020

Chain Devil by Wizards of the Coast

The Lord of the Chains was a devil entrapped by King Beorhtric in the second millennium. The Dragonblazers would ultimately vanquish him.

Player Characters

Riley Woodhame: Riley Woodhame, human fighter and warlock, is a member of the Hearthstars (an organization based on gathering information under Amagus' teachings). His search for power and knowledge led him to find the Lady of the Lake, giving him an inkling of control over his own fate.

"The Amazing" Slytoff Han: Slytoff Han is a magician! A gnome wizard, he seeks to find funding to create a magic show and has traveled around County Ellis to show off his skills for potential audiences.

Wulfric Cisboren: Wulfric is a human fighter, who hails from Obesfeld, and a former housecarl. He appears to be a man of the north, covered in furs. Recently he has been talking more in a Norden accent, and has been behaving more like the Dwarves of North in his fighting style.

Gilliam Wulfstan Maydestone: Gilliam is an aarakocra swashbuckler, as well as an urchin that grew up in the city of Ebenwald. With his skills with the blade, he seeks higher up contracts to fill his pockets.

Tequila "Teq" Cambow: Teq is a cleric of Amagus, devoting his life and services to the god. He was introduced to the party by the local bishop of Silver Town, searching for field experience and for building his faith.