Khûm – Chapter 5

“Spring of 68. Second Age. Sulphur Springs.”
“Well, what did I tell you? Place like this, there’s always something rotten underneath. It seems this queen’s no more popular than our commander. Now, our only choice is a long march or a short one and at either end a promise of only fire and death and none of coin. The only way to make the money we came here to make is to steal back from a fire-breathing wyrm, one that’s defeated one army much larger and better trained that our sad lot.
Still, I envy the Commander’s Tent even less. We’re the long march, yes, but there’s a mountaintop stronghold, with warm hearths and reinforcements and big fucking ballista awaiting us at our road’s end. They’ve the shorter march but it’s straight into the dragon’s jaws, and there’s no comfort to be squeezed from the cold land between here and there. Dunno about you, dear reader, but I know which route I’d rather take.”
 – Beholder's Log, Hemson 26 98 2A

The Menagerie split in twain. The bulk of their soldering descending back into the stoneway, headed north towards Snowperch and Zhoraska the Red Matron. A smaller faction – the Commander's Tent, plus Dûnya and her dragonslayers – made secretly across the tundra from the Range of Sovereigns and Tyrodax the Wyrmling. Along the way, Hvaka Hornwinder regaled the party will tales of her heroics, Griffon was visited by visions in the snow and Umber developed an attraction to the bluff dwarven queen.
After six days march, they arrived at the incomplete statue of King Havhed the Hammerer. Passing the smoldered ruins of the crownguard's camp, the dragonslayers began – at Remorhaz's insistence – to lay a trap for the dragon. It was determined that Mouse should sneak into the dragon's lair and steal something precious, luring the beast from its lair and into a trapped canyon, where the dragonslayers could dump an avalanche onto the unsuspecting beast. The dwarves immediately set to work on preparing their trap, allowing Umber and Dûnya another chance to bond.
No sooner were these plans laid, however, than an army of Mystriarchy soldiers – sent from the Sanctum in Stone – arrived to trouble them. Knowing they could never fight the bulk of the army, the Commander's Tent decided to distract them long enough for their allies to finish preparing the trap. Leaving Mouse and most of the dwarves behind, Griffon, Remorhaz, Umber accompanied Dûnya, Hvaka, Zed and the Poet Errant on a desperate mission, to led the Mystriarchy astray for six hours.
Chased through the Range of Sovereigns, things began ill for the mercenaries, as Remorhaz's need to make the campsite look authentically abandoned cost them precious time and energy. Hounded up into the hills, they were keeping the marching dwarves at bay – until they ran smack into a frost worm. In the brief but bloody battle, Griffon borrowed Umber's spear, Remorhaz was stunned by the monster's trilling and Hvaka Hornwinder was frozen in ice, much to Dûnya's dismay. With the army closing fast, however, they had no time to rest and instead fled, wounded and frozen, deeper into the mountains.

Campaign: The Menagerie
Game Date: Hemson 26 – 32, 68 2A
Starting Point: Sulphur Springs
Player Characters:

• Griffon
• Mouse
• Remorhaz
• Umber