After the Dragon
Seaton’s Cove, Duchy of Salinmoor — 10 Fireseek–9 Readying, 576 CY
Session 2 — July 23, 2023
Adventurers: Galborn Valgwyn, Haldir Sorenson
Level: 1st
Adventure: SQ-01 — Breath of the Viridian Wyrm
Weather: Cool and variable; late-Fireseek cold rains and coastal breezes giving way to milder Readying afternoons, with persistent mist and damp ground in the Fogfen
The adventurers had returned from beneath Seaton’s Cove with an answer no one had expected. What began as an investigation into missing stores beneath the Salty Net & Fishery Hall had uncovered forgotten passages, dangerous creatures, a kobold warren, and—deeper still—a young green dragon. They had survived their first encounter with the creature, but now Seaton’s Cove had to decide what to do about it.
After the Dragon
The adventurers returned to the Salty Net & Fishery Hall with news far worse than anything Tamily Tanderveil had expected. What had begun as an investigation into disturbed stores beneath the cellar had led them into forgotten passages beneath Seaton’s Cove, through chambers occupied by dangerous creatures and kobolds, and finally into the lair of a young green dragon.
Their attempt to confront the creature had ended badly. The dragon was far beyond anything they had faced before, and the party had been forced to retreat through the underground complex before someone was killed. By the time they reached the surface again, the missing fish and damaged supplies that had started the investigation seemed almost insignificant.
Tamily was relieved to see them return alive, but her relief quickly gave way to concern as they described what they had found. Kobolds living beneath the town were dangerous enough. A dragon was something else entirely, and there was no way to know how long it might remain hidden or what would happen if it decided to leave its cavern.
The matter could no longer remain confined to the Salty Net. Tamily decided that Mayor Oseph Menhemes and the other people responsible for the safety of Seaton’s Cove needed to hear the adventurers’ account firsthand. The following day, she asked the group to gather again at the Fishery Hall before accompanying her to the mayor’s residence.
When they returned to the Salty Net, the place already felt different. Only a short time before, the trouble beneath the cellar had seemed like a small local problem. Now everyone involved knew that the earthquake had opened a path into something much larger and far more dangerous.
Once the group was assembled, Tamily led them away from the wharf district and toward the Menhemes estate. The mayor’s home was one of the oldest buildings in Seaton’s Cove, a sprawling family manor larger than its current occupants required. One wing had been closed for generations, while another had been opened as a small museum devoted to the history of the town.
The adventurers were not there to see the museum; they had come to warn Seaton’s Cove about what was living beneath it.
Council at Menhemes Manor
A well-dressed servant received the group at the Menhemes estate and escorted them into an extensive library. Several prominent residents of Seaton’s Cove were already waiting, including Mayor Oseph Menhemes, Lyrielle the Seer, Vandy Banderdash of the Hall of Illumination, Worliwynn, caretaker of the Stone Ring Pond, and Captain Lardus Longsaddle, commander of the town garrison.
The adventurers were asked to tell their story from the beginning. They described the breach beneath the Salty Net, the passages opened by the earthquake, the creatures they had encountered, and the kobolds that had established themselves in the underground complex. Then they told the gathering about the dragon.
As the account continued, the mood in the library grew increasingly serious. Mayor Menhemes made it clear that the discovery could not simply be ignored; whatever else might lie beneath Seaton’s Cove, a dragon represented a threat to the entire town. Lyrielle spoke of danger she had already sensed beneath the Cove and suggested that the earthquake might not have been the end of the disturbance at all, but only the beginning of something greater.
Captain Lardus had another problem. Many of the town’s more capable guards were already away from Seaton’s Cove, searching for bugbears that had been attacking travelers along the Seaguard Road, and they might not return for weeks. Though years past his prime, Lardus nevertheless pledged whatever support he could provide.
That left the room with a much harder question: what could actually be done about a dragon? No one suggested simply sending the adventurers back below and hoping for a better result. They had already learned what happened when they faced the creature without preparation.
Vandy Banderdash believed the first step should be knowledge. If they could learn more about green dragons—their habits, defenses, methods of attack, and perhaps their weaknesses—they might discover some advantage. Worliwynn was equally interested in what had been found below and wanted to understand the caverns and what protections might be needed before anyone returned.
The meeting ended without an immediate solution, but it did end with a plan. Before anyone faced the dragon again, they would first learn everything they could about it.
The Search for Answers
After leaving Menhemes Manor, Hugo and Haldir accompanied Vandy back toward the Hall of Illumination. On the way, Vandy suggested making one more stop and led them to Odd Stories to speak with Morlibint.
Hugo already knew the wizard as an exceptionally well-read man, someone with the sort of broad and unusual knowledge that might prove useful now. Morlibint’s reaction to the news was immediate: kobolds beneath the town were disturbing enough, but a green dragon terrified him. Even so, fear did little to diminish his curiosity, and once the initial shock had passed he eagerly agreed to help. He would search through his own books and bring anything useful he discovered to the Hall of Illumination.
The Hall itself stood at the eastern edge of Seaton’s Cove on a raised shelf below the cliffs. It was the largest temple in town and principally dedicated to Delleb. When the morning sky was clear, the rising sun struck the central dome and transformed it into a brilliant beacon above the surrounding buildings.
The Hall was more than a place of worship. Its central chambers contained an extensive library filled with histories, maps, textbooks, travel accounts, and works on countless other subjects. For the next three days, while late Fireseek brought cool sea winds and occasional cold rain to Seaton’s Cove, Vandy, Hugo, and Haldir worked through the collection while Morlibint pursued his own research.
Much of what they found amounted to scattered tales, warnings, and old accounts, but eventually three works stood out from the rest. From the Hall came Forest Guardians: Ancient Rituals to Aid in Green Dragon Warfare, by Druidess Sylvari Moonshadow, and Whispers of the Wyrm: Tales of Survival and Strategies in Green Dragon Encounters, by Historian Alistair Blackthorn. Morlibint contributed a third volume from his own collection: The Emerald Chronicles: Stories of Heroism Against Green Dragons, by Chronicler Roderick Stonehelm.
Together, the three books began to give them a clearer picture of the creature waiting below Seaton’s Cove.
What the Books Reveal
The research made one thing clear: green dragons were not mindless beasts. The accounts described them as contemplative, calculating creatures with a fascination for knowledge and self-discipline. They were more willing than many chromatic dragons to deal with other beings, but such dealings were dangerous. A careful approach might lead to conversation, while a foolish word or perceived insult could just as easily provoke an attack.
The books also described the places green dragons favored. They preferred isolation—deep forests, tangled wilderness, gloomy ravines, and natural caves that could be expanded into secure lairs. The caverns beneath Seaton’s Cove fit that description uncomfortably well.
Their combat abilities were even less reassuring. A green dragon could attack with claws and a vicious bite, while its tail made approaching from the side or rear dangerous. Its hide was extremely tough, and the creature possessed considerable resistance to magic.
There was at least one encouraging point. The dragon beneath Seaton’s Cove was young, and the books suggested that younger dragons had not yet developed all the skills and abilities of their elders. With preparation, careful tactics, and the right advantages, such a creature might still be defeated.
Morlibint also drew attention to one possibility that interested the spellcasters. Spells requiring direct contact might stand a better chance of affecting the dragon than attacks that first had to overcome its tough hide.
None of this made the creature safe, but after three days of research the adventurers finally understood their enemy better than they had when they first stepped into its cavern. They still needed a way to survive confronting it, and that answer came from Worliwynn.
The Potion of Viridian Defense
While the others were still weighing what they had learned, Worliwynn returned with something more practical than another tale or warning. She had found a formula for a preparation called the Potion of Viridian Defense, an elixir intended to provide protection against the toxic breath of a green dragon.
The potion would not make facing the dragon safe, but if it worked as described it might give the adventurers a better chance of surviving the attack that had already forced them from the cavern once before. There was only one problem: the formula required two rare ingredients, and neither could be found anywhere close at hand.
The first was Luminescent Pollen, gathered from a rare mystical plant known as the Luminariad (Luminariad Mystica). Worliwynn believed the plant could be found in the Fogfen, the sprawling swamp north of Seaton’s Cove. The Luminariad was said to favor hidden pools, reed-choked wetlands, and isolated patches of higher ground where moonlight could reach it through the mist.
The second ingredient was Starlit Nectar, harvested from a celestial flower called Astraradia (Luminis Radiata). Astraradia was said to grow within the sacred grounds of the Shrine of Lady Kayle in the Good Hills, and only under the light of Luna and Celene. Reaching the shrine would require a much longer journey than the trek into the Fogfen.
Worliwynn believed the Orius Clan, a centaur clan living west of Meravon near the northwestern edge of the Dreadwood, might know the way to the shrine. That made Galborn Valgwyn a natural choice to accompany Haldir Sorenson. Galborn already had ties to the centaurs of that region and knew something of their ways, while Haldir’s druidic knowledge would be essential when it came time to identify and safely gather the plants.
For the first time since the dragon had been discovered, the town had more than warnings and questions. It had the beginnings of a plan. Before the adventurers returned beneath Seaton’s Cove, Haldir and Galborn would have to leave it behind, first venturing into the Fogfen for the Luminariad’s pollen and then traveling north toward Meravon, the Orius centaurs, and the Shrine of Lady Kayle in search of Starlit Nectar.
Into the Fogfen
The first ingredient lay much closer to Seaton’s Cove than the second, but that did not make it easy to reach. About half an hour north of town stretched the Fogfen, a broad expanse of marsh, stagnant pools, reed beds, and low islands of firmer ground. Late-winter rain had left the wetland sodden, and cool mist clung to the low ground. Most people avoided the place whenever possible; the footing was treacherous, visibility could vanish without warning, and the swamp was home to more than insects and waterfowl.
Stories spoke of dangerous beasts, humanoids, and strange lights that appeared in the fog and seemed to draw unwary travelers farther from familiar paths. Somewhere within that wetland grew the Luminariad, the rare moon-sensitive plant whose Luminescent Pollen was needed for the Potion of Viridian Defense.
Worliwynn could not give Haldir and Galborn an exact location, but she believed their best chance was to search the patches of higher ground scattered through the swamp—small mounds, copses of trees, and isolated places where the plant might receive enough moonlight to thrive.
Haldir and Galborn set out together, following the Gaunt Trail north before leaving it for a lesser path that turned westward into the Fogfen. As the firmer road disappeared behind them, the landscape quickly became more difficult. Mud and shallow water slowed their progress, while reeds and hanging mist reduced visibility and made every distant shape harder to judge.
They spent the next several hours pushing deeper into the swamp, searching each rise and wooded patch for some sign of the Luminariad. Haldir knew what they were looking for: a delicate reed-like plant whose star-shaped leaves and pale growth were said to shimmer faintly under moonlight. Finding one in a wilderness as broad as the Fogfen, however, would require patience.
The deeper they traveled, the more isolated they became. By then, Seaton’s Cove was well behind them, and somewhere ahead, hidden among the pools and mist, waited both the plant they needed and whatever else called the Fogfen home.
The Swamp Serpent
Several hours into their search, the Fogfen reminded Haldir and Galborn why so few people willingly traveled there. As they moved through the reeds and shallow water, a giant swamp serpent struck from the marsh.
The attack came quickly. The creature’s size and speed made it dangerous enough, but its venom proved even worse. During the fight, Galborn was bitten and succumbed to the poison, collapsing before the serpent could be brought down.
That left Haldir to finish the battle. He managed to kill the creature, then turned his attention to the fallen ranger. Galborn was still alive, and Haldir was able to tend to him and use his healing abilities before the venom could claim him.
The encounter left both of them badly shaken. They had entered the Fogfen expecting difficult terrain and dangerous wildlife, but the serpent made the risks much more immediate. Finding the Luminariad was no longer simply a matter of searching long enough. Every hour spent in the swamp increased the chance of another encounter.
With Galborn recovering, the pair began looking for somewhere relatively dry and defensible where they could stop and rest. That search would lead them to exactly what they had come to find.
The Luminariad Grove
With Galborn recovering from the serpent’s venom, Haldir began looking for a place where they could rest before attempting the journey back through the Fogfen. Their search led them toward a small copse of trees rising above the surrounding marsh. The ground there was firmer than the flooded flats around it, and the trees offered a rare patch of shelter from the open swamp.
It was there that Haldir noticed something unusual growing among the reeds and damp earth. The plant matched Worliwynn’s description of the Luminariad.
Its delicate, reed-like growth stood apart from the surrounding swamp plants, and Haldir carefully examined it before beginning the harvest. This was the rare plant they had come into the Fogfen to find, and its Luminescent Pollen was the first ingredient required for the Potion of Viridian Defense.
Following Worliwynn’s instructions, Haldir gathered the pollen without damaging more of the plant than necessary. After hours of searching, a deadly encounter with the swamp serpent, and Galborn’s near death from its venom, they finally had what they had come for.
There was little reason to remain in the Fogfen any longer. Once Galborn was strong enough to travel, the pair retraced their route through the marsh and returned to Seaton’s Cove with the first ingredient safely in hand.
One half of the formula was complete. The second would require a much longer journey—to Meravon, the Orius Clan, and eventually the Good Hills.
North to Meravon
With the Luminescent Pollen secured, Haldir and Galborn returned to Seaton’s Cove and prepared for the second, longer part of their search. The Starlit Nectar they needed could be found in the Good Hills, but Worliwynn believed the best way to reach it was by first seeking out the Orius Clan of centaurs.
The following day, the pair traveled north along the Veylan River toward Meravon, a logging town on the edge of the Dreadwood. By then the calendar was turning toward Readying, bringing cool mornings and somewhat milder afternoons. The journey took them away from the familiar coast and into country Galborn knew far better than the swamp they had just left behind.
They reached Meravon and stopped there for the night before continuing west the next morning. From there, they would leave the more settled route behind and search for the centaurs who ranged through the forested hills beyond the town.
Worliwynn believed the Orius Clan would know how to reach the Shrine of Lady Kayle, where the rare Astraradia grew. If she was right, the centaurs were the key to finding the second ingredient.
Before they could reach the shrine, however, Haldir and Galborn first had to find the centaurs.
The Orius Clan
Leaving Meravon behind, Haldir and Galborn traveled west in search of the Orius Clan, the centaurs Worliwynn believed would know how to reach the Shrine of Lady Kayle in the Good Hills.
The centaurs were able to help. Their clan leader knew of the shrine and agreed to guide the pair toward the place where the Astraradia grew and the Starlit Nectar could be gathered.
But the centaurs had a problem of their own. A small group of ghouls had recently begun causing trouble in the area. The Orius had already managed to kill two of the creatures, but the survivors had retreated into an old tomb set high in a cliff face. The entrance was reachable by Haldir and Galborn, but the terrain made it difficult for the centaurs to pursue them inside.
The clan leader offered a straightforward bargain: if Haldir and Galborn dealt with the remaining ghouls, the centaurs would guide them into the Good Hills and show them the way to the Shrine of Lady Kayle.
For the second time in their search, the path to a rare ingredient came with an unexpected danger. Before they could continue toward the shrine, they would have to climb to the tomb and deal with whatever waited inside.
The Ghoul Tomb
The tomb stood partway up a steep cliff face, beyond the reach of the centaurs. That was exactly why the remaining ghouls had chosen it.
The Orius Clan had already killed two of the creatures, but the survivors had retreated into the old burial place where the centaurs could not easily follow. If Haldir and Galborn wanted the clan’s help reaching the Shrine of Lady Kayle, they would first have to clear the tomb themselves.
The climb to the entrance was difficult enough. Once inside, the pair found themselves in a confined space where the ghouls had the advantage of darkness and close quarters.
What followed was a short, dangerous fight. Haldir and Galborn pushed into the tomb and confronted the remaining undead before they could escape deeper into the chambers. The ghouls were finally destroyed, ending the threat that had been troubling the Orius Clan.
With the tomb cleared, the bargain was fulfilled. The centaurs now had no reason to hold back their help.
The next stage of the journey would take Haldir and Galborn beyond the forested country around Meravon and into the Good Hills, where the Shrine of Lady Kayle—and the Astraradia they needed—waited.
The Shrine of Lady Kayle
With the ghouls destroyed and their bargain fulfilled, the Orius Clan guided Haldir and Galborn westward into the Good Hills. The farther they traveled from Meravon, the more the country changed, with wooded slopes giving way to higher, rougher ground and long ridgelines broken by old stone outcrops.
Their destination was an ancient shrine dedicated to Lady Kayle, a name neither Haldir nor Galborn knew well before the journey. According to the centaurs, the shrine had stood in the hills for centuries and was remembered because of a battle fought there more than five hundred years earlier against a great green dragon named Maejerex.
The story told at the shrine was one of sacrifice. Lady Kayle had given her life during the battle, buying her companions the time they needed to complete a ritual that stripped Maejerex of its magic and protections. Her death allowed the others to finish what they had begun and ultimately brought an end to the dragon’s power.
Within the hallowed grounds of the shrine grew the rare Astraradia, the celestial flower Worliwynn had described. Its Starlit Nectar was the second ingredient needed for the Potion of Viridian Defense.
Reaching the shrine, however, did not mean the task was finished. The flowers were tied closely to the sacred ground and to the memory of Lady Kayle herself. They could not simply be gathered like ordinary herbs, and the centaurs treated the place with obvious reverence.
Haldir and Galborn would have to wait for the proper time to harvest the nectar. As moonlight settled over the ancient shrine, they discovered that Lady Kayle’s story was not as distant as they had believed.
The Guardian Spirit
When the proper hour came, Haldir and Galborn entered the sacred grounds of the shrine and began gathering the Starlit Nectar from the blooming Astraradia. Under the light of the moons, the flowers seemed almost luminous, their pale petals reflecting the night sky as Haldir carefully collected only what Worliwynn’s formula required.
As they worked, they realized they were not alone. A presence made itself known among the old stones of the shrine, and the guardian spirit of the place appeared before them, bound in some fashion to the memory of Lady Kayle and the sacrifice that had made the shrine sacred.
The spirit told them what had happened there more than five centuries before. Maejerex, a great green dragon, had once threatened the land, and Lady Kayle had stood with those who opposed it. During the final struggle, her companions attempted a ritual that would strip the dragon of its magical protections, but they needed time to complete it. Lady Kayle gave them that time by holding the dragon at bay, knowing that doing so would cost her life.
Her sacrifice allowed the ritual to be completed. Maejerex was stripped of the powers that had protected it, giving Lady Kayle’s companions the opportunity they needed to overcome the dragon. The shrine had endured ever since as a memorial to that act.
For Haldir and Galborn, the story carried an uncomfortable relevance. They had come to the shrine looking for an ingredient that might help them survive another battle with a green dragon, only to discover that the ground beneath their feet had once been the site of another desperate struggle against one of the same kind.
With the tale told and the Starlit Nectar gathered, their work at the shrine was complete. They now possessed both ingredients needed for the Potion of Viridian Defense.
Viridian Defense
With both ingredients secured, Haldir and Galborn made their way back to Seaton’s Cove. They returned carrying the Luminescent Pollen gathered from the Luminariad in the Fogfen and the Starlit Nectar harvested from the Astraradia at the Shrine of Lady Kayle.
Their journey ended at the Stone Ring Pond, where Worliwynn was waiting for them. There she introduced the pair to Tharion, a cleric-alchemist capable of preparing the formula she had uncovered.
With the rare ingredients finally in hand, Tharion set to work creating the Potion of Viridian Defense. The finished elixir was a luminous green potion that seemed to sparkle like starlight, carrying a faint fragrance reminiscent of fresh forest growth. From the ingredients Haldir and Galborn had gathered, Tharion was able to prepare six potions.
The potions had been created for one purpose: to give the adventurers a better chance of surviving the poisonous breath of the young green dragon beneath Seaton’s Cove.
The expedition had accomplished what it set out to do. Haldir and Galborn had crossed the Fogfen, survived the swamp serpent, earned the aid of the Orius Clan, destroyed the ghouls in the cliffside tomb, reached the Shrine of Lady Kayle, and returned with both rare ingredients.
Now, for the first time since the dragon had been discovered, the adventurers had something more than knowledge and courage to take with them underground. They had protection, and soon they would return beneath Seaton’s Cove.
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