In the Valley of the Shadow of Death

Overview

The adventure continues after a devastating battle between the people of Vogler and the Ironclad Regiment comes to a grinding halt. The scream of the wounded are drowned out by cries of panic and shock as the townspeople of Vogler recover the few dozen survivors left on the battlefield. As the blood soaks into the dirt, the unlikely trio of Dimitri, Hari, and Fëandil are forced to question what comes next.

It Takes a Village

After the catastrophic battle, the townspeople of Vogler turn to their political leader, Mayor Thorne, for answers. He, in turn, goes to the party in search of guidance. With little information and dire circumstances, Dimitri dismisses him to go help with the wounded while the party seeks an audience with Becklin in hopes of finding out the intent of the Ironclad Regiment's deception. The party finds Becklin and Cudgel atop one of the many hills that dot the northern border of town, with Cudgel, who was explaining that the Ironclad Regiment had betrayed her. The knights composure is something to be admired; despite the desolation of the town she was designated to protect, she still maintained an aura of confidence and fairness when speaking to the commander of the opposing forces. The party interrupted this conversation with their approach. To justify this interruption, Dimitri asked what could be done to assist the effort moving forward. Becklin took inventory of the situation and decided it would be best if the party helped get people back to town and meet her in the Brass Crab once the wounded were safe in Vogler. The party obliged, and all but Hari assisted in returning the wounded to Vogler. Before leaving, Dimitri left Hari with some choice words of reflection.

Despite what you may be feeling, you are a good person. And an even better soldier.

— Dimitri Borislav, to Hari after the Battle of High Hill

A Moment to Think

Hari stayed behind with Cudgel as the rest of the party made their way back to town. During this time, Hari made several attempts to lure Cudgel into a conversation, but the emotions of the battle kept her at a distance. Hari, fresh out of his first battle, began to feel the effects of the gruesome nature of war. The images of his friend, Garret, dying as a result of a magic surge released from Hari during a life-or-death moment burned themselves into the forefront of Hari's thoughts when Cudgel finally interacted with Hari by telling him to be quiet. Cudgel moved closer towards a nearby treeline when they found a scout from the Ironclad Regiment weilding a crossbow named Svilt. After being noticed, Svilt elected to retreat into the treeline while Cudgel and Hari gave chase. The chase resulted in a standoff in a tree clearing, where Svilt had Cudgel at bowpoint. Having been behind Cudgel, Hari managed to get the drop on Svilt, who was suprised when Hari walked out of the treeline. Svilt seemed frustrated with the decision he had to make, hesitating to kill either Cudgel or Hari. Whether or not this was Svilt's humanity or the fact that he only had one shot with his crossbow remains unknown.
After deciding to dispatch Hari infront of Cudgel to guarantee his escape, Hari reacted, warping the crossbow and making the weapon ineffective. The bolt shattered against the front receiver, a near 1 in a thousand chance. Seizing the initiative, Hari bludgeoned Svilt with his sword, and Cudgel sprang into action. It wasn't long before the scout was bested by the two dwarves, where he was subsequently tied up and escorted back to town.

Among Enemies and Friends

The party finally regrouped at the Brass Crab, where Becklin, Lord Backaris, and Mayor Thorne were already discussing future plans and actions. Lord Backaris held the floor for the majority of the conversation, insinuating a hunt should be sent out for Cudgel, who he believed to be the reason for the slaughter. Shortly after, Cudgel and Hari barged into the room, tossing Svilt down onto the floor. Upon seeing Cudgel, Lord Backaris drew his sword and stepped towards Cudgel, when Dimitri and Fëandil interposed themselves between the two. Fearing for the safety of Lord Backaris, Fëandil gave sage words of advice to the angered nobleman to calm him down.

This is not a fight that you would win.

— Fëandil

With the tensions in the room at an all time high, Mayor Thorne came to the rescue with ale, food, and postitivity while the room filled with tactical conversation. Ultimately, it was decided that Lord Backaris and his son would travel to Kalaman to beseech the capitol city for aid, while Becklin figured out the next steps for Vogler in the meantime. Lord Backaris set out to make preparations immediately, leaving the party, Svilt, Cudgel, Becklin, and Mayor Thorne in the room. On his way out, Fëandil bid the Lord a safe journey, using his entire title as a sign of respect. Lord Backaris nodded in agreement and understanding, with only this to say before his departure.

Yes, that's right! You see? We could all learn to be more like Bonzai here.

— Lord Backaris

With Lord Backaris gone, the tensions remained high as the focus turned to Svilt. Everyone in the room, except for maybe Mayor Thorne, wanted the answers to the insurrection orchestrated by the Ironclad Regiment. It was obvious that Svilt would be interrogated, but the method on how was still up in the air. The next morning, Svilt was treated to breakfast by Mayor Thorne, who engaged the scout in harmless conversation. Eventually, the party entered with Becklin and Cudgel. After some questioning, Svilt let slip that the executive officer for the Ironclad Regiment, Groganos, was paying off mercenaries with a large sum of Estwildian steel, nearly 5x the annual salary of the mercenaires for their loyalty. From there, Becklin decided the best course of action would be to send the party out into the hills to look for clues of this deal being made to hopefully find the supplier of the steel payment. Tensions heightened a bit more between Cudgel and Becklin when Cudgel insinuated giving Svilt a proper beating for his transgressions, but Becklin interposed herself, claiming Svilt a prisoner of the Knights of Solamnia, and as such, Becklin would be sworn to protect him.

My honor is my life.

— Becklin Uth Viharin

Good Soldiers Follow Orders

The next morning, the party met with Becklin at Thornwatch Keep to get the specifics of their scouting mission. Becklin urged the team to look for things like tracks, small disturbances, and signs of recent activity and report back with anything they found. Dimitri turned to his companions, also mentioning that forest clearings, chopped trees, and heavy digging near water sources should be noted to. This unnerved Becklin, who claimed that these were signs of military encampments, not small militia regiments. To this, Dimitri replied that he was always taught by Ipsin Greenshield to be prepared for the worst possible outcomes, so at the very minimum he would always be prepared to experience it. Understanding the teachings of Ipsin, Becklin cautiously agreed and sent the party off in search of answers. Before they leave, Becklin pulls Dimitri aside, telling him that she knows he used magic on the battlefield, and it is her duty to report him to The Mages of High Sorcery. However, because of the pressing matters at hand, Becklin has reason not to tell them just yet, giving Dimitri a fair warning of what is to come.

A Chance Encounter

Not long after the party commenced their scouting mission, they encountered a Fey creature, which only Fëandil recognized as a Hinderling, a fey whose presence often causes mischief and misfortune to those who are around it. Fëandil warned the party and garnered the ire of the creature. Still pressed to find information, Dimitri and Hari made a deal with the creature, at the cost of 1 of Hari's boots for 1 question. With this deal, Fëandil thought quickly and managed to ask the creature if there were any nearby creatures he could speak to, regarding recent activity in the forest. The fey mentioned muskdeer in the area who would probably know more, and the general direction in which they traveled. Fëandil led the party away from the fey creature, since now they had a new avenue to ask questions that wouldn't cost them any more boots or misfortune. Being tricked, the fey creature mumbled curses under his breath towards Fëandil as the party left.

The next time he goes looking for something, we'll just see if he finds it...

— Hinderling

Patience is a Virtue

After appointing Hari as the pointman, Dimitri turned to Fëandil for tips on tracking the herd of Muskdeer. With his natural attunement to nature, Fëandil found the herd shortly after, ushering the party to remain in the treeline while he prepared to speak with the animals. After the process of Fëandil simply moving closer to the Muskdeer, an hour had already passed, and Dimitri and Hari were asleep against one of the trees in the woodline. Fëandil conversed with the Muskdeer, asking them about recent human activity, but was limited to the information he could ask based on what Muskdeer perceive and how they describe things. With some newly gathered information and a new direction, Fëandil then began the hour long journey of returning back to the sleeping duo. Once he woke them up, the Muskdeer immediately sprinted off, sensing danger.

In Dire Straights

While the party continued to scout ahead on the Muskdeer recommendation, the party stumbled upon a small contingent of scouts, to include a footsoldier, a large horseman, and an Irda mage. Immediatley, tensions erupt and combat ensues. After enduring a magic onslaught by the Irda mage, the party regroups and counterattacks. Springing into action, Hari erupts with fighting spirit, killing the footsoldier almost instantly as the party focuses towards the mage. Hari knocked the mage prone, and the mage called out, commanding the large horseman (now dismounted) to help her fight off the battle-crazed dwarf. Snarling, the hooded horseman removed his cloak, revealing scales covering his body, and large wings tucked underneath. He stomped on the neck of the Irda, giving only a single sentence as justification.

Dragons do not take orders from anyone.

— Draconian Soldier

Stunned at the reveal, Dimitri, Fëandil and Hari team up against the Draconian, but are beaten within inches of their lives in what turns to a purely defensive struggle against an overwhelming force of attack. Despite having the Draconian outnumbered 3 to 1 with weapons, the party is forced to retreat into the treeline and a chase ensues.
Thinking quickly back to his days in the militia, Dimitri gets Hari to cause a distraction while he ties a small line of rope between two trees as they break line of sight with the Draconian. The party waits, and the Draconian closelines himself on horseback, sending the horse and the Draconian tumbling off of a cliff into a valley below. The party, near death, manages to spot the Draconian spread his wings as he glides roughly onto the ground below.

The Valley of the Shadow of Death

As the party gazed down at the landing zone of the Draconian soldier, they see small candlelights in the distance. It doesn't take long for them to realize that these are campfires, organized in a war army fashion. Hundreds, if not thousands of Draconian soldiers are teeming through the valley below, illuminated only by the fires from their camp. Realizing their situation more dire than before, the party scrambles to return to their town, when they hear rustling in the treeline behind them. After further investigation, a man named Jevev Veldrew makes himself known, indicating that he was hired and sent by Becklin, alone, to escort the party back to town. In much need of aid, the party agrees and makes their way back to Vogler.
Upon arriving back at Vogler, the party beseeches Becklin about the presence of a Draconian Army camped just a few miles outside of town. Becklin, despite hearing this devastating news, keeps her composure and begins to usher commands to her squire and prepare for an invasion.

Once More Unto the Breach, My Friends

To the suprise of many, a single horseman comes to the gate of Vogler, asking for an audience with the Knights of Solamnia stationed at the town. Bound by honor, Becklin must meet the hooded figure at the gate, to which the party offers to accompany her. With Mayor Thorne, Becklin, and the party standing at the gate, the hooded figure seems to take inventory of the town itself before speaking. After some back and forth between Becklin and the figure, an ultimatum is decreed. The town of Vogler is to willingly surrender immediately to the Draconian army, or face worse than the Battle of High Hill. Leaving Becklin with time to decide, the hooded figure goes to ride off, undoubtedly to ready the army for an assualt after learning so much about the town itself.
Understanding what will happen if the messenger reports only a single knight at the town, the party uses the Gnome Flinger to leap into action after the scout messenger to silence him.