[The Redwater Fellowship, a long-running D&D5e campaign in person since 2018]
Location: Dead Mage Inn - Lortmiill Mountains
Date: 27th of Patchwall - [Autumn] YEAR: 582
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The RedWater Fellowship [Player Characters]
Doc Holliday - Male 1/2 Orc | Gunslinger/Paladin of the goddess: Raven Queen [played by Connor]
Nenwin Albion - Male Aasimar | Paladin of the god: Heironeous [played by Jake]
Graxxuzzaz - Male Lizard-folk | Sorcerer/Warlock of the Great Old One - the Yellow King [played by Braydin]
Aeldred - Male Red Dragon-born | Barbarian/Paladin/Ranger of the god: Pelor [played by Campbell]
Thogra | Male 1/2 Orc | Assassin/Cleric of the Egyptian god: Set
Dungeon Master: Dave
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Non-player characters of note:
Lieutenant Spears - Male 1/2 elf | Phantom rogue/Echo Knight - an operative assigned by Lady Cowl's secretive organization to assist [played by Connor]
NPC: Gothi | Female foreclaimer | Ranger [At town of Dragonkeep]
NPC: Lars | Male elf [VAMPIRE] | wizard [At town of Dragonkeep]
NPC Hester - Male Tabaxi | Cleric of Celestian [At town of Dragonkeep]
Tibaltuous - Male half elf | Bard [on mission South near the Pomarj in the Wildcoast [DM: more details: Blogpost]
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Summary
The Redwater Fellowship's plan was to travel overland to the city of Fax, on the Wildcoast still under BlackRune control [the Fellowship's longtime enemy a powerful group of dwarven slavers] where there were a number of quests and tasks of interest to the Fellowship. On the way, they decided to visit Darkreach the realm of the Dreadking - a former member of the Fellowship, who hard turned away to follow Orcus a demon Price of undead - who ruled over all the former elvish lands now - an undead wasteland.
Currently having recuperated in the Dead Mage Inn near a mist filled crater, next goal is entering the undead realm of Darkreach. Magic and divine contact is chaotic and limited due to strange forces emanating from the crater. [See blogpost: https://sleet-dnd2.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-stairwell-of-blood.html]
Overall plan:
The Fellowship is to travel overland to the city of Fax, on the Wildcoast still under Blackrune's control [the Fellowship's longtime enemy, the Blackrunes were a powerful but waning force - group of dwarven slavers in the area] where there were a number of quests and tasks of interest to the Fellowship.
Recently the party had decided to try and "rescue" Robin - now the Dreadking, ruler of Darkreach [the former lands of the elves] - and bring him back to the way of good. The party thus were heading directly into the heart of Darkreach where they assumed Robin/Dreadking resided in the former elvish city of Enstad.
Current quest or options for the party to look into:
- The Fellowship's flying tower: Being upgraded at DragonKeep - good progress being made. Should be finished in 2-4 weeks. [DM: More details: Link]
City of FAX
- Request from Greyskulls' mercenary crew commander and mate- save son in Fax?
- A Doctor in Fax - potential contact ally against BlackRunes?
- Magic Portal to Sea of Dust (Blackrune expedition) located in Enstad - now called Darkreach - look into or not?
Personal quests:
- Aeldred - oath to find and save family of dwarf smith who repaired Aeldred's heirloom sword
- Doc Holliday - Elves in Bright desert east across sea in Bright desert (Doc personal potential quest)?
- Graxxuzzaz's circus (he was circus master and has heard rumours they are near Fax now - potential personal quest)?
- Tibaltuous' bounty for drow - Locations Fax or Nulb?
- Map to secret Blackrune base/island off Wildcoast - Fax area (Kantif has this - former party member now in or near Fax?)
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The Redwater Fellowship’s trek into the blighted lands of Darkreach is marked by moral conflict, psychological horror, and the constant threat of the undead.
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| Robin - before his new patronage |
The party decided it was time to confront Robin - hoping to return him to the way of good, but they needed Doc Holliday to do this - Doc was one of Robin's oldest friends.
Lt. Spears mission - an agent of Overlord Romack's army, in the intelligence cohort of Lady Cowl, had no interest in this and advised the Fellowship that he would meet them all at the city of Fax. Leaving on his own, the heroes bade him good luck and hoped to see him soon in Fax.
Encounter with a lone Traveler
While waiting for Doc Holliday to trek from DragonKeep to the crater - a week's journey at best - near the Dead Mage Inn, the party decide to head out into the wilderness. Aeldred came upon some "large clawed" tracks after speaking with a snowy-hare. After a half hour of tracking, they see in the distance a medium-sized humanoid, appears to be a draconian - white scaled.
The party call out and confront the humanoid, named Vako with white draconian scales, carrying alongbow and heavily cloak with the cold weather. Nenwin utilized his divine sense and detected "evil" radiating from the stranger. Despite Vako’s claim that he was simply fleeing the BlackRunes and the Dreadking and heading to the south, Nenwin drew his blade feeling the 'evil' was not allowed to continue. Seeing the blade, Vako fired arrows which had a paralyzing affect, hitting Aeldred - magic. Graxxuzazz and Nenwin initiated combat.
Graxxuzazz utilized psychic attacks that caused blood to leak from Vako’s eyes and ears which also paralyzed the draconian, while Nenwin used a magical attack to invoke fear, rooting the traveler in place. It was a very quick battle, Vako being a seasoned adventurer, but no elite warrior like those in the Fellowship. The draconian tried to fly away, but Nenwin the Aasimar was faster.
After subduing and tying him to a tree, the party looted his magical arrows, platinum and some gems but ultimately returned his belongings after realizing he was not an immediate threat. The disgruntled Vako "flipped them the bird", Graxxuzzaz gave the draconian some gold and warming to the lizardfolk sorcerer warned them to watch for a "strange undead procession" he had seen up further in the mountains.
The party returned to the Dead Mage Inn, and came upon the idea to use a teleportation circle to connect with DragonKeep - a circle already there - to allow Doc Holliday to instantaneously join the party! Thanks to Thogra's recalling Graxxuzazz had this spell capability.
The Screaming Mists of Darkreach
The party gathered their horses - or summoned them magically - and moved deeper into the Lortmill Mountains toward the former elven city of Enstad, they entered the "screaming mists". This claustrophobic fog was filled with the high-pitched, overlapping screams of men, women, and children. The mist felt physical, like invisible hands clawing at their armor and bodies, inflicting biting cold and psychic damage.
The psychological toll was devastating to their mounts. Aeldred and Graxxuzazz both lost their horses to the mist; the animals became so spooked by the spectral faces, claws ripping. and noise that they bolted into the fog, where one fell off the edge of the treacherous path and the other was heard being consumed wetly and gruesomely by unseen horrors. The party talked about retreating, and then Nenwin took his flying paladin's horse above the mist, the sun appeared only as a black disc in the sky, signaling the Dreadking's total influence over the realm. The Paladin could see the mist started to disperse a ways ahead, so as long as they could hold out a little longer they would be fine.
The Siren and the Broken Bridge
The Fellowship reached a broken stone archway—a dwarven and elven construction that once spanned a 50-foot-wide ravine. There, they were greeted by a beautiful woman floating above the crevice. Doc's quick hand as always had his pistols ready and two bullets went through the apparition with no effect.
The enchanting singing affected Doc Holliday and Thogra. Nenwin and Graxxuzazz were able to resist the alluring musical voice, while the other were compelled to run toward the woman floating in the empty space over the precipice.
To save his companions, Graxxuzazz attacked Doc to break the charm, while Nenwin, mounted on his flying warhorse Kieran, physically intercepted Thogra just as he was about to jump off the cliff. Once the party resisted her song, the woman vanished with a mischievous smile.
The Melancholy Procession
Finally reaching the top of the mountain pass, the party looked down through he swirling dark grey and ash like snow and black sun-lit land into the true realm of Robin/Dreadking - Darkreach. The once beautiful lands of the elves was now a blighted deathly sore on the lands of Oerth. The Dreadking was slowly turning the lands into a comparable to his patron Orcus' realm in the Abyss.
While descending the treacherous zigzag road, the party witnessed a somber funeral procession floating through the air. This group of 50 shrouded figures included skeletal Clydesdale horses pulling carriages filled with coffins. Among the spirits were four children; one girl made the sign of the Raven, to Doc and he recognized the secret sign of his goddess the Raven Queen. Another pallbearer one of six carrying a large 8' long coffin exchanged a secret sign with Thogra - the secret sign of Set the Egyptian god. It appears the dead and undeath went across pantheons and time and space. This melancholy event proved divine for the paladins, as the somber energy refreshed and healed all three, Nenwin and Aeldred as well as Doc Holliday.
As the party sought a place to rest to combat their growing exhaustion, they entered a ravine filled with stunted and withered, necrotic trees. The peace was shattered when the putrid ground erupted, revealing a giant shambling mound. This "demented" undead growth stood 20 feet taller than a standard specimen, with spectral shadowy forms floating in around of it as it rose to attack the weary Fellowship!
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