Guardians of Dragonfall (Desnus (V) 24th-Sarenith (VI) 29th, 4710 AR)
"Nothing inspires the members of
our organization more than the tantalizing prospect of an unsolved mystery. But
despite the efforts of generations of Pathfinders, Dragonfall is as much an
enigma now as it ever was. For the dragons, of course, this mystery is a point
of pride — just another reason why the lesser races could never seriously
challenge their superiority.
For a mortal, to enter Dragonfall means death, if not from the powerful magical guardians then from the enmity of all dragonkind. These chronicles are full of heroes who sought to defy the dragons and brave the forbidden mountain. But not even the dragons themselves are above this law, and there are no lengths to which they will not go to keep their secrets.
The Pathfinder Chronicles"
It was a cold and rainy day in Fort Thorn. Most of the merchants, vendors, and shoppers apparently decided that instead of getting drenched on the muddy streets, their day might be better spent enjoying a warm mug of cider in the nearest tavern. As a result, every table was spoken for in the taproom of the Tattered Flag alehouse.
“Beg your pardon, Sirs, Ma'ams. I’ve a letter for you. Been told to deliver it today to this very place.” The young boy looked nervous as he held out the wax-sealed envelope. The boy graciously accepted the tip Zemurin offered, leaving the heroes to read their letter.
"Greetings,
I hope this letter finds you warm
and dry on this miserable day. I am writing to you because I have been
monitoring a troubling situation that has recently drawn my attention, and I
require the assistance of a capable and discreet band of adventurers. Although
you might be unfamiliar with me, I can assure you that I have considerable
means at my disposal and can offer substantial compensation for your efforts.
If you are interested, please visit my home on High Tide Street in Augustana at
your earliest convenience. In either case, please discuss my request with no
one. Your discretion is greatly appreciated.
Aroon the Herbalist"
Aroon the herbalist is known to the heroes in passing, as the previous owner of the sword of envy. Aroon is a kindly old man and a skilled herbalist. Most who live near him speak well of him but mention that he is an odd sort who mostly keeps to himself and entertains few visitors. On the rare occasion that Aroon did entertain guests, they were always foreigners with outlandish dress and mannerisms.
The Herbalist's Home
Standing near the end of High Tide street is a small one-story wooden building in good repair. A small signpost just outside a neatly kept yard reads “Aroon’s Herbalism. All Are Welcome.” The windows are all dark and shuttered, but otherwise, nothing looked out of the ordinary. When Gryxxa knocked on the front door, a voice called out from within, saying, “Welcome my friends, please come in.”
Beyond the door is a small room, cramped with hanging herbs, dried animal skins, and dozens of shelves. Each one displays countless bottles of odd liquids, powders, and preserved specimens. The room had a musky earthen scent with an undertone of decay. Other than this impressive array of herbalism supplies, the room was empty. A closed door leads deeper into the abode. There was no other response and calls went unanswered.
The house contains only three other rooms: a sparsely appointed
bedroom; a kitchen full of pots, pans, and other cooking utensils; and a large
study whose walls are lined with rather full bookcases. The clean and
well-organized chambers looked unlived-in: The kitchen holds no food and the bed
appeared unused. Books on history, herbalism, arcane knowledge, and dragon lore
fill the shelves. Of Aroon, there was no sign.
The only thing out of place was a letter sitting on the edge of the desk in the study. The neatly folded letter is written on the same kind of paper as the note delivered to the heroes. The names of each one of the heroes appear on the top fold of the letter:
"My Friends,
If you are reading this letter,
it means you have at least agreed to consider my proposal. I would be extremely
grateful for your assistance, and it means a great deal to me that you have
come. Welcome to my humble home! Feel free to make yourselves comfortable.
The message contained within this
letter should be treated with the utmost secrecy. I must ask for your solemn
oath in this regard. Keep the contents of this letter to yourselves, and do not
show it to anyone.
Before I continue, it is time for
me to reveal my most closely held secret: I am not a man. I am a gold dragon.
It feels quite liberating to
write those words. My true name is Auronorex, and by the time you read this, I
will be dead. Do not mourn for me; it was my time. I have lived a great many centuries
and now I hope I have found peace. I say hope because I have recently learned
of a threat that could endanger the sacred rest of not just myself, but dragons
across the world.
Before I die, I must make a
sacred pilgrimage to a hidden temple, a monument to draconic power known as
Dragonfall, where my bones may lie among those of my kin. Many of my kind go
there, regardless of their lineage or color, for it is a holy place, a place
where our souls might find solace until we are needed again in the future.
Dragons who seek Dragonfall find
it in their own way. For me, that quest meant careful research, study, and
magic. When I finally located it, I was horrified by what I learned. The
guardians of Dragonfall no longer watch over the great Bone Field as they
should, and I heard rumors they have been sighted raiding nearby towns. Worse,
my visions showed me a menace lurking in the great mountain, an unwelcome
outsider defiling one of our most sacred places. I know there is no way
Dragonfall can be usurped without the help of my kin, so I turn to you. This
sacrilege must be stopped, and not just for my sake. If the power that resides
within Dragonfall were to be turned to other ends, the destruction that could
be wrought upon the world would be incredible.
I have known my fate for many
years now, but it was not until almost the end that I learned of this danger. I
now must lay my trust in you to travel to Dragonfall, as I have done, to put an
end to this perversion. While I am forbidden from telling you the location of
Dragonfall, nothing prevents me from bringing you to the edge of the Bone
Field. To this end, I scribed a magic circle in the cellar of this very house
to transport you there. I shall leave further instructions for you in the Bone
Field. Seek out the sign of the golden star once you arrive.
In closing, I feel compelled to
warn you of the danger involved with this quest. No mortals are allowed to
enter Dragonfall. The penalty is death. Although this is a terrible risk, I
must ask it of you nonetheless. I ask you to do this for not only dragon kind,
but for your own. Anyone who would dare tamper with this most sacred place must
have greater plans, and I shudder to think of what they might entail.
Auronorex"
The heroes knew that several legends mention Dragonfall as a plateau at the peak of the highest mountain on the continent. There is a death sentence penalty for mortal trespassers, with no exceptions. Many true dragons seek out Dragonfall when the time of their death approaches — be it from poison, disease, or natural causes.
A search of the house turned up few other clues, none of which conflicted with Auronorex’s tale. There was a secret compartment underneath the floor of the study, expertly hidden. This compartment contained 25,000 gp worth of treasure, with at least one item suited to each hero, as well as some of the items Tulann had recovered from Tirana's lair when they met him in Kaer Maga. Finally, behind the house, a pair of shuttered doors leads down to the cellar. Down in the basement are more drying herbs and curing meats, along with a faintly glowing circle inscribed on the floor.
The Bone Field
When the heroes stepped in the circle, with a flash of light, the world grew dark and stormy. The first thing visible through the gloom was a massive draconic skull, large enough to swallow a horse whole, just a few feet away. Beyond the skull, a vast plain of massive draconic bones reaches into the distance. Beyond their towering rib cages and crumbling wings stands a stark tower of rock, rising up from the center of the field. As lightning flashes in the distance, small forms can be seen circling the tower and swooping over the field without apparent pattern or purpose. In front of the mountain, about halfway across the Bone Field, a golden point of light shimmers faintly through the storm.
The Bone Field radiates out from the mountain for about two miles in every direction. Travel through the Bone Field is at the same rate as if moving through a trackless forest. Most of these areas are strewn with patches of difficult terrain, while some of the more towering skeletons require climbing to overcome.
Ashes of the Ancients
The heroes made their way towards the golden point of light, passing through a broad area littered with
the crumbling bones of truly ancient dragons, leaving behind large dunes of
fine gray powder interspersed with small bone fragments. Here and there, larger
skeletons still remain, although they were hardly recognizable as such due to
extreme weathering. Although most of this terrain was easy to move through,
anyone moving too fast kicked up a cloud of dust around them. This cloud provided concealment, but anyone
inside of it might end up coughing and
choking, unable to take any action aside from movement.
A pair of huge red dragon skeletons prowled this area of the graveyard. The skeletons hid in the dust
when the heroes arrived on the scene and blended in with the surroundings. The heroes noticed their movement before they attacked. When they
sprung from hiding, these skeletons created an immense dust cloud, blanketing
the entire area.
The dragon skeletons charged the nearest enemy each round and attacked. The dragon skeletons fought until destroyed.
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