Dragonkeep - Status

 The RedWater Fellowship D&d5e Campaign Blog

The BETA Crew

Location: Dragonkeep in the Lortmill mountains

Date: 30th of Reaping, High Summer

The BETA Crew [player characters]

Irakul SlyWarrior - Goliath male, Fighter [played by Braydin]

Pyra - Tiefling female, Rogue [played by Jake]

Vencer Astorio - Human male, Wizard [played by Connor]

Faust - Warforged, Warlock [played by Devin]

Valoran - Elf male, Ranger [played by Campbell - not at this session]

NPC: Skrit - Kobold [male] Priest of Istus - town mayor of Dragonkeep

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Status update:

The Beta Crew are former retainers of the RedWater Fellowship. Originally hired on, all now are full members of the Fellowship. They: Vencer, Pyra, Irakul and Faust work as a team in support of the newly named town of DragonKeep. Originally called Drekkar, the town built by dwarves and gnomes near lucrative silver mines in the Lortmill mountains. The town had been taken over by a large force of kobolds under a cursed three-headed dragon goddess - now destroyed by the Beta Crew and allies. [DM: please see Blogpost]

While the Redwater Fellowship were far to the South on other quests [DM: please see Blogpost], the Beta Crew have been rebuilding the town, taking in refugees from the war between Overlord Romack's forces and the demon hordes of Iuz, as well as building new relationships with those nearby. 

Recently an influx of troglodytes had invaded the silver mines killing some of the miners and rumour has it were worshipping the skeletal remains of the cursed dragon goddess.

Local area Map

We join the session where the Beta Crew were planning to head into the silver mines and deal with these troglodytes!

1st order of business: Irakul deals with the Demon

Irakul had made signed a contract with a demon for services, now the demon has returned for payment. [DM: Blogpost]. The three, goliath, hobbit and demon are out in the mountains Northeast of Dragonkeep.

Tacros Flanolin, Hobbit Lawyer from the city of Rastor, hired by Irakul, represented Irakul in the negotiations. The flustered lawyer sweat profusely, never having dealt with Abyssal or infernal contracts before! Previously, the demon previously served Irakul once in a battle at the Three Crescent Moon monastery, and Irakul and his descendants were prophesied to be in servitude to the demon - Noted in said contract:  Page 257, Appendix 13, Clause 37, Sub-section B4, Paragraph 3 Sub-point 8.1

Shadow Lantern

The hobbit lawyer, Tacros, reads the original clause and then whsipers to Irakul,  "This won't go any further ya, if he was, you know, destroyed or something like that." Glancing over his shoulder at the towering 10' demon he gulped.. So potentially, if - as Tacros suggested - Irakul died OR the demon was permanently destroyed his descendants would no longer be beholden to the demon. 

Tacros Flanolin sighed flipping through the many pages of fine blood red script. "This contact is stronger than mithril platemail!" then kept studying it. Finally 3 hours later, he advises negotiating for "two times servitude because he only served you once AND give him that strange artifact you carry as you suggested, the Shadow Lantern. What does it do?" 

The goliath did not know the artifacts true powers as the party had only barely learned of some basic abilities, one being that it consumed the wielder's shadow and allowed the wielder to manipulate shadows and control them to great extent. The powers were many.. 

The Irakul, thinks upon this and then agrees, having the lawyer assist him in hopefully persuading the demon to this new contract. 

A successful Charisma check [19] with the lawyer also throwing in some jargon about contracts being null and void etc. leads to the demon agreeing to "Irakul performing two times servitude for up to 24 hours of time each." The demon's condition is that the wielder must "do whatever I say" but promises "Nothing that would hurt you now ally, Irakul!" Grinning very widely, his dual rows of teeth jagged and sharp the demon winks, "Battle. That would be fair as it is your skill." 

The contract will be complete and "null and void" upon the two times of servitude.

The demon cuts its hand with a silvered, black blade with silver etchings, and passes the blade to the Irakul to do the same. Tacros writes with pen - declining with a shiver to cut his hand for blood to sign the contract, and a copy appears in Irakul's hand.

Tacros mops his forehead with a hankie. "Now that's done, let's get back to Dragonkeep!"

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The town of Dragonkeep - current status

1. Gate and keep rebuilt - 100%

2. New tower built - 100%

3. Recovering farmlands for food - 2 fields ploughed and planted. 3rd will be ready for next Spring

4. Roundtower [with 2 cannons] - at 75% [fixing mechanism to rotate tower is still an issue]

5. Walls at 90% [all walls along main road and grasslands: complete, walls along river nearing completion]

6. 3 mine entrances are now open - two being explored by Pyra and her crew. Small amount of silver being mined and refined.

7. Fighters stronghold - 100%

8. The mist is cleared from the large crater. Irakul and Cedric has worked to turn the crater into an arena for use by the town, with stands, seats and more. Also for training the militia. [70%]

Dragon Keep Settlement Development

Population Growth: The settlement has expanded significantly. 197 in total now.  (143 working age, rest children and infirm).

Militia: Increased from 56 to 94.

Refugees: 37 new refugees

Skilled Workers: Includes two blacksmiths (one independent), four merchants (three tied to Wayberry, one to Rastor), a tailor, clockmaker/artificer, librarian, brewer, undertaker, two general store owner - [who are going into business together], innkeeper, and 3 other shopkeepers.

• Blacksmiths: One blacksmith doesn't like the other and won't work together to transport goods to Dragon Keep. There may need to be some 'assistance' required there.

Fighter's Guild: Completed. [DM: Training there for a month allows all of your action surge attacks are strong" (automatic crits). for a duration]

The party realize no wealth is coming into the tow except for Pyra's work to open some silver veins in the mines - now shut down due to the troglodyte incursion in the mines!

Vencer proposes a new economic strategy:

Big Bold Beautiful Bill "The Quadruple B" 😊

• Core Principles: Income-based tax with three brackets; working in militia pays less; militia supplies own gear; farmers pay tax in food. Working in the mines pay less tax, get a larger reimbursement on ore mined
• Governance: Creation of an "office of election members" from the three tax brackets to bring issues to the town council. Taxes to be imposed on "incoming trade through territory." Bi-Annual elections for the council.
• Redwater Fellowship Role: One permanent council member from the Redwater Fellowship (either Beta Crew or Flying Tower members) with a veto.
• Civic Duty: Incentivize wealthy members to donate to public works via tax cuts and positions in an annually elected clergy/small council (rotating positions for honoured few through military or civic duty).
• Endorsement: The Redwater Fellowship far to the South, reclaiming their flying tower, agree in full to the bill via "sending" spells cast between Skrit and Hester.

DragonKeep Council Approval is required so an "Emergency Council Meeting" is called (initially to be proposed to the monthly Town Council in 17 days). Vencer (Charisma check +5, Enhanced Ability cast by another, result 18) successfully persuades the "Dragon Keep Temporary Council" to pass the bill: BBBB motion, despite "grumblings from the back of the room where some of the people are thought just got here and assumed not having to pay taxes!"

The council acknowledges the plan's role in "keeping them all safe and keeping them well."

Future Plans: Skrit, current town mayor, will now plan a fair and public election process.

Current relationships with nearby "neighbours":

• Trade Routes & Alliances: Dragonkeep's Location: "the town was on a trading route. It's on a mountain pass. Supporting travellers, guarding the routes allow taxes to be gathered.

• Wayberry & Rastor: Need to "make Parley and negotiating new trade and alliance agreements. Wayberry has "good" relations due to Overlord Romack forces being there. Rastor has no current contact, but one merchant in Dragon Keep has contacts there. Time to follow-up on that.

Allies:

Stone Giants: good

The Bard, Poet and her kobold mining crew at the southern mine: excellent

Monks at the Three Crescent Moon Monastery: good

• Monastery Trade Depot: The Crescent Moon Monastery sells good spirits and a variety of spices that are of interest to both Wayberry and Rastor making Dragonkeep a potential central "trade depot."

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NEXT: The party now prepare to enter their silver mines and engage the troglodyte menace.