Silvanost and Kurinost

04 - 07 Newkolt 349 AC 

After arriving at the Tower of Wayreth, Romulus gets a room for himself and secures a laboratory for his personal use. Menathradon comes looking for him as soon as he hears of the halfling's arrival, wanting to know more about the attack on Silvanost. 

Romulus only replies, "I do not have the words to properly convey the devastation. In all, there were twelve dragons. They were above the city for no more than one minute. Close to 3,000 of your people killed, thousands upon thousands more injured. You should go. The people will need help rebuilding."

The halfling excuses himself and retreats into the workshop he has procured and gets to work, spinning enchantments and augmenting his defensive arsenal.

Meanwhile, back in Silvanost, Ra'ziir, Shadow, and Kysek all begin interviewing prospective squad members. All three seek some combination of martial skill, stealth, magical aptitude, and a certain, shall we say "anti-establishment" mindset. Ra’ziir also consults with the other squad leaders about ways to handle immediate threats. 

Kysek recommends a combination of guerrilla warfare and advanced reconnaissance patrols which Shadow follows up by suggesting the use of "Mass Fly" spells for even greater mobility. The Knight of the Barrie Grange waves one of his hands, shooing away a bee that keeps buzzing around the table.

Shadow stops, "You do have that spell, right?"

His black-robed companion nods, "I do."

Shadow smiles, "May I copy that? We all seem to have the same ideas."

Cedron turns to the three squad leaders “Would any of you be interested in a little moral support or healing as part of your squad?”

“Cedron, my group would love your support and that of Mal, the Lord of Progress," Shadow replies.

A few hours into the planning session, a sailor appears, bearing a letter from Raven. "Armies need food and weapons and gold to pay their troops. Unless the Dragonarmies are bringing them in magically, they must be arriving by sea. The river is frozen and the ship is locked in place. I am heading to Kurinost to see if I can commandeer a minotaur vessel for our use, maybe see about disrupting their supply lines. I will contact you soon."

"So, Raven is for cutting off the supply lines on the water and I was for disrupting them on the land behind the front lines to starve the Army of the Dragon Queen before they can lay siege to the Elven City." Shadow prepares the squad to fly invisibly behind enemy lines to seek supply caches and other targets for ambush with magic and ranged weapons. "We will disengage from larger units and will not attack dragons but gather intelligence for strikes later." Shadow will discuss escape and evasion plans and routes in the event the elven are discovered and have to retreat.

Arthur spends the days helping wherever he is needed whether that be training soldiers, helping the wounded, or meeting with Agnes. For her part, Agnes remains reclusive, staying close to the House of Healing and fussing over Lorraine.

Grotto assures Agnes that he will not mention her dragonform. 

He continues to tend to the incoming wounded. Until his armor is ready, he will stay in town to support the healers.

The elderly elf woman encourages her to share her secret, one she has known for months, with Arthur’s companions. The silver dragon-in-elf form argues, "But we metallics swore to remain uninvolved. Our eggs...."

Lorraine cuts her off. "I am aware. I am also aware that Silvanesti had a pact with the Dragonarmies and we were attacked anyway. What makes you think they will hold their end of the bargain your people made?"

Also, meanwhile, by the end of his first day's march, Raven reaches Alinosti. The small fishing village remains untouched but teems with refugees fleeing toward the capital. Captain Whitlock Hartford puts the elf up in his fishing boat for the night and Raven is on his way once more come morning.

On the morning of Raven's third day of travel, the crystal spires of Kurinost come into view. Smoke rises from several buildings in the city. Numerous ships are tied up along the waterfront with dozens of minotaur sailors unloading cargo. Long lines of elves, wrists and ankles in shackles are being herded onto several vessels, prisoners bound for slave camps to serve the Dragonarmies. 

From his vantage at the edge of the forest, the swordsman could see patrols of hobgoblins marching in the streets. Human guards stand at the city gate while dragonmen haul valuables out of homes and businesses to pile them in wagons.

A green dragon lounges atop a shattered tower, its tail flicking with the amusement of a cat watching an unsuspecting mouse.

It was then that the gravity of his situation catches up to him. When he left Silvanost, he had been filled with rage brought on by the death of Eilra and his failure to save Cassidy from dragonfire. He had stormed off half-cocked into the woods, ready to slay any enemies he encountered, regardless of their number. He thought he would come to Kurinost and steal a minotaur ship but he hadn't brought a crew to sail it. Raven was confronted with an entire city of foes - literally hundreds of enemies. He could attack and probably kill several dozen before the dragon or some lurking wizard hurled a spell that brought him low. But how would that help the captive elves? He needed a plan, a real one. Cursing himself and his foolishness, he faded back into the forest and began circling around to the southern end of the city.