Circulus: Act 1 Epilogue & Quest Breadcrumbs

Battle’s End

It would have been nice if the ancient green dragon’s retreat had resulted in the undead falling to the ground, lifeless (again). Sadly, the battle raged on for many hours afterwards.

The departure of the glitterbombed and freshly cyclopean wyrm was a turning point, however, with soldiers able to quickly patch up the wall breach using spare cattle run partitions. The original plan to have the undead funnel through to the crematorium worked … mostly. The large stockpile of explosive arrows proved far more effective.

The dragon’s strafing run through town did manage to kill a significant number of townsfolk, who subsequently animated in a number of minutes rather than hours. The practice of everyone boarding themselves up in their houses meant most new members of the undead horde were unable to cause mass destruction, but one zombie in a building was more than enough to turn the entire structure into a crypt before help could arrive.

With the complete destruction of Clearspring and the casualties during the battle, the total population of Koomridge was down to 30% of its size at the onset of Winter.

This is only an estimate, as the dwarves of Orestrike sealed their tunnels sometime during the conflict. Even the dwarf residents of Koomridge Keep were unable to contact any survivors inside, and the worst is feared by most. There is some debate as to whether efforts should be made to unseal Orestrike, but dwarf settlements are cleverly built and frequently rigged to do bad things to anyone who tries to break in. Many (including many dwarves) suggest waiting until any survivors poke their heads out to see if it’s safe, but dwarves are a patient race and can wait a long time.

Dragon Departed

Fiddlepunch’s escape and survival were due to a unique property of his Mark 42 telescope: It could turn into a giant mech roughly twice the size of Fenix. He had originally designed it to survive the vacuum of space while he toyed with converting the tower into a rocket, but those plans fell through as Marwood’s senility grew worse.

Upon the defeat of the zombie horde Fiddlepunch returned to the tower and discovered tracks indicating that the bulk of the zombies who had attacked his home had walked straight out of the lake. Further inspection showed a previously undiscovered underwater cave which had apparently been home to the dragon for some time, perhaps several hundred years.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how eager one wishes to be a dragon dinner) the green dragon had apparently packed up and fled. There were plenty of signs that a great many things had been stored in the cave, but nothing of value had been left behind.

It is assumed that the ancient green dragon was responsible for the curse, in part because after its departure the dead stopped their perpetual unlife. Those zombies not destroyed remained animated, but any killed, along with any new deaths, remained dead.

The citizens of Koomridge still cremate their dead, however. When you’ve been doing something for 100 years, it becomes the way you’ve always done it.

Converts

Members of the party were not the only ones apparently blessed by the gods. Many of the recent cleric converts to Sylvanus, Ilmater, and Bahamut reported abilities of far greater power than should have been possible. Turning undead more often than not resulted in corpse dust rather than fleeing foes, and healing spells did far more than could ever have been expected.

While these boons to ability quickly faded as the day went on, it still led to many residents turning to these new, foreign gods for worship and protection. Koomridge is now home to three temples, in addition to the three churches it originally contained. There is some contention between the new and the old, but it is mostly of an intellectual nature.

The exception to this involves the worshipers of Bahamut, which sadly could have been expected. With the driving force behind Koomridge’s curse turning out to be a dragon, a religion that worships a dragon god is not exactly the most favored of choices. The few who adhere to this faith make great efforts to never wear green.

One might think that they would also avoid displaying marks of their faith based on the public’s overall attitude towards dragons, but their role model is Fenix, so….

Ari

Ari spends the Winter months chest deep in scrolls and books, mostly looking for more information involving large scaly things. With the zombie crisis mostly averted, the Idris family is all too happy to help. Fervid’s contacts at multiple magical academies (gained through decades of research into the curse) as well as the books that Fiddlepunch was able to salvage from Marwood’s Tower reveal little, but little is still more than nothing.

It turns out that fanatics wielding green daggers adorned with dragon heads are not unique to Koomridge. Some of them have popped up here and there around Circulus, including on a largish island north of Adrilanka, the port city that Ari also calls home.

Reports of a frightening creature of immense size flying at an incredible height have reached one of the academies far to the North West. The thought is that it was heading towards the island continent granted to the orcs for their aid in the fall of the Circulean Empire.

In addition to this Ari continues his arcane studies under Ardent’s tutelage, gaining an additional 3 spells of his choice from the PHB. Ardent refuses to take the wand of fireballs back, insisting that it is well deserved. Its command word is “teepeekay,” which is no stranger than most command words.

Fenix

Fenix spends his Winter attempting to be as awesome as possible. Training with the guardsmen, discussing religion with new clerics of Bahamut, moving heavy construction materials, and destroying wagons are all things he does on a daily basis.

As a reward for his service against the green dragon, the dwarf blacksmiths of Koomridge craft a suit of plate armor (AC18) for Fenix. While mostly of sturdy steel construction, the breastplate is adorned with a relief design of a dragon’s head covered in platinum leaf (like gold leaf, only…).

Fenix is also gifted with a pair of enchanted jesses allowing Justice to survive through most weather conditions. With these, he spends more time bringing Justice outside to let him stretch his wings. Fenix is frequently rewarded for this with gifts of rabbit, small birds, and the occasional rat.

One time Justice tries to catch Shepard and bring him to Fenix. It does not end well, at least from Justice’s point of view. Shepard is by now a bit too heavy to lift and spends the time jumping in an attempt to help Justice out. Justice does not appreciate the assistance from his “prey.”

Obaim

Obaim spends his Winter months tending to the sick and injured, along with a following he did not expect to gain. Ilmater’s call to service is unmistakable in its direction, however, and even those who dislike the intrusion of foreign gods cannot deny the aid that Ilmater’s followers provide for any in need.

As Spring approaches and it becomes likely that Obaim will continue to travel with his companions, his congregation pitches together and gifts him with a handy haversack to aid him on his journey.

Panq

Despite all previous indications of his character, Panq spends his Winter helping to rebuild Koomridge and helping as many farmers as possible return to their homesteads. He begins to gain a reputation in town as a somewhat more gray and significantly more bald version of Old Bob, and the comparison is not meant to be hurtful.

Old Bob continues to have odd jobs for Panq now and then as the months go by. Between these and the initial payment for the star charts, Panq makes roughly 200 gold for his efforts and also somehow manages to “acquire” Marwood’s portable hole, though he neglects to share that story with the rest of the party.

The hole is full of clutter and usually at least one live chicken. So far the chicken(s) have managed to escape any attempts to harm it (them), and they seem to do fine in spite of portable holes only containing roughly 10 minutes of breathable air.

On one of these jobs Panq is able to find a meeting place of Dragon Cultists in a cave not far from town. The cave seems deserted, but some directives written in code are found on a sheet of parchment that had slipped between a desk and a rough stone wall.

Panq also finds a latrine in the cave, but declines to investigate further.

Vex

Vex spends his time researching dragons, and quickly learns that his knowledge far outshines any tome the Idris family can locate. On Circulus dragons had always been creatures of myth and legend, so those who wrote about dragons were usually more interested in telling a good story than anything else. Frustrated, he manages to pen a significant amount of details himself.

These activities have him spend more time with the royalty of Koomridge, but Fervid’s steady supply of candies makes the experience a little better.

Vex spends his non-literary time tending the sick and injured, assisting with repairs, and training Shepard.

During this time Shepard beefs up, and not from the scraps that Pudge the Innkeeper’s wife continues to try to sneak past Vex’s watchful gaze. He’s now full grown, with his marvelous takedown ability ready to go. Shep is happy to demonstrate this at any hour of the day, much to the dismay of people who would normally call themselves allies.

Shepard has also developed the odd habit of bringing Vex random trophies, likely because of how proud Vex was after the eyeball and dragon ones. These are varied, but have included such things as hats, scarves, a table leg (the table did not collapse until the leg was delivered), a whole, cooked chicken, a small child (the kid enjoyed the experience, the parents did not), Panq (twice), Justice (three and a half times, including when Justice tried to bring Shepard to Fenix), Obaim’s mace, an animated, severed human hand, and a deck of playing cards.

Of all of Shepard’s trophies, the strangest was a small, rust colored cloth bag. It was found in the middle of the woods, with no sign of its previous owner in spite of Vex’s superb tracking skills.

Where To?

With the Spring thaw fast approaching, the party has been growing restless. Before them lie several options, and not all of these are mutually exclusive. Wherever they choose to go, the grateful people of Koomridge are happy to provide them with horses (or a horse and wagon if they prefer) and any basic traveling supplies (food, etc.) they might need.

  1. Ari has discovered evidence that the strange cultists encountered in Koomridge might also have a base of operations somewhat closer to (his) home. Additionally, he still has Lord Idris’ formal letter agreeing to a trade arrangement with the Ravenscroft family.
  2. The worshipers of Bahamut have been petitioning Fenix to visit his own homeland, the former Circulean capital known as Dei Perfecta. Failing that, they have been asking him to send word to them for more paladins or clerics to bolster their numbers. Dei Perfecta is located on the other end of Circulus’ ring.
  3. The best stonemasons of Koomridge, if they still live, are entombed in the sealed subterranean town of Orestrike. This leaves no one outside of Orestrike with the knowledge of how to get in. An expedition has been proposed to contact another dwarven settlement named Whosonfirst to see if they can lend aid.
  4. The orc lands far to the North West have the strongest lead on the ancient dragon’s whereabouts. It is currently wounded and weakened, but will not stay that way forever.
  5. Fiddlepunch brings word that a town to the South named Whatsonsec appears to have up and vanished. He suspects that it may be related to the same phenomena that brought Vex, Panq, and Obaim into this world, and wishes to travel there to investigate. Alas, he is a researcher, not a fighter, and the roads are often dangerous. (The Mark 42 is not built for long distance travel inside of a gravity well.)