Ulam, Gobit, Skazer, Kogath
The adventuring party gathered at the Gilded Compass in Siothruna to plan their next expedition, reviewing various beacon locations on Thrain's map. During their discussion, they learned more about EETU, the goblin they had previously rescued, discovering that he was actually the rightful heir to the goblin throne. Queen Bargnot had murdered his parents to seize power and kept EETU as her servant to demonstrate her authority over the other goblins. After debating between several destinations, including the Enchanted Glade and goblin territories, the party decided to flip a coin between northern and southern locations, with the result sending them south toward the mysterious kingdom of gold.
Thrain, the expedition coordinator, provided each party member with a potion of greater healing and warned them about the toxic atmosphere in the southern swamps that Matthias had previously encountered. The party purchased horses for their journey - draft horses for 50 gold and riding horses for 75 gold - with Skazer acquiring a draft horse named Haas that could pull a cart. As they departed through the city gates on a foggy morning, the citizens of Siothruna began recognizing the adventurers by name, showing their growing reputation.
The first day of travel took them south along the rocky coastline through sparse vegetation and foggy conditions. Kogath led the party toward the kingdom of Gull, while other members attempted to forage for useful herbs and materials during their journey. The terrain gradually shifted from rocky to muddy as evening approached, and the party searched for shelter near the water's edge, being careful to avoid getting too close due to previous encounters with dangerous aquatic creatures.
They found refuge in a natural cliff-side windbreak formation that provided protection from the elements. The shelter consisted of two walls forming a ramp-like structure about 16 feet wide and 24 feet long that led down toward the water. The party collected firewood from the sparse coastal trees and set up a modest fire, establishing watch rotations with Skazer and Ulam taking the first shift, splitting duties between watching the hillside and the cliff edge.
During their watch, Skazer and Ulam heard ominous wailing sounds approaching from above the cliffs, distinctly different from the pleasant harpy songs they had encountered before - these sounded like death wails. Skazer quickly put cotton from his tinderbox in his ears as protection, while Ulam determined through a perception check that the sounds were coming from above their position rather than from the ocean. They could discern three separate voices making the wailing sounds, and as the noise grew closer, they quietly awakened their companions and extinguished their fire to avoid detection.
The party split into two groups on either side of the ramp, with Kogath planning to sneak up the side of the cliff formation while Gobit provided a torch for illumination. When Kogath threw the torch up to light the area, they spotted a dark shadowy figure at the cliff edge looking down at them, triggering immediate combat. Skazer cast Witch Bolt as a ready action, dealing 14 lightning damage to the shadow, while Ulam shot an arrow for 10 damage and Gobit cast Chromatic Orb for 16 fire damage, completely destroying the first creature and causing ash to fall from the cliffside.
As Kogath moved up the ramp and encountered another shadowy figure, a second, more substantial ghostly creature emerged - this one was flying and more visible than the shadows. The ghostly figure touched Gobit, dealing 5 necrotic damage and frightening him, while Kogath attacked the weakened shadow with powerful unarmed strikes enhanced by his magical abilities. The combat continued with various spell attacks, including Skazer's Firebolt dealing 9 fire damage and Ulam's prepared flaming arrow - an improvised weapon made with dried fern plants, oil, and fire - dealing 12 damage and setting the ground ablaze.
The dying shadow let out a piercing, blood-curdling scream that knocked Skazer unconscious and dealt 8 psychic damage to the other party members. Kogath quickly drank his greater healing potion to restore himself to full health and continued attacking with his Flurry of Blows ability, while Ulam used Cure Wounds to revive the unconscious Skazer. The battle concluded when Kogath delivered the final blows to the remaining ghostly creature, earning each party member 325 experience points.
After the combat, the party searched the defeated wraith's body and found a mysterious ring with strange runic symbols on its finger. Skazer used the Comprehend Languages ritual to read the runes and made a successful Arcana check, identifying it as a Ring of Spell Storing capable of holding up to 5 spell levels, though it currently contained no spells. Kogath collected valuable shadow dust from one of the defeated creatures, while the party burned the wraith's body and extinguished the fires. Their attempt to rest was disrupted by distant shrieking sounds throughout the night, preventing Ulam and Skazer from getting proper recovery.
The next morning brought clear weather with the fog lifted, and the party continued their journey south while foraging for useful plants. Kogath and Gobit made successful Nature checks and discovered Boneset plants growing along the coastal route - white flowering plants that could be used to make pain-relieving tea. They collected multiple cuttings, with Kogath finding 7 and Gobit finding 5, sharing some with their companions as they traveled through increasingly forested highland terrain.
As they continued south, the party spotted a dragon flying from the mountains toward the coastline about 2 miles away. Through careful observation, they identified it as a blue dragon that was fishing in the coastal waters. Despite the obvious danger, Skazer made the bold decision to approach the dragon alone for diplomatic contact, removing all his equipment and walking toward the creature while his companions retreated to a safe distance. The dragon landed on the pathway and confronted Skazer, who spoke to it in Draconic, introducing himself and requesting safe passage through its territory.
The dragon, ancient and wise, commented on Skazer's horns and questioned his approach to a dangerous creature. When Skazer explained that his horns were a curse and requested safe passage, the dragon laughed, suggesting that horns were not something to be ashamed of. After Skazer made an exceptionally persuasive argument (rolling a natural 20), the dragon offered a deal: it would take Skazer's horns as payment, or he would die, but the party would gain safe passage through the dragon's territory. The dragon proceeded to break off Skazer's horns, leaving bleeding stubs and dealing 5 damage that knocked him unconscious, before flying back to the mountains.
Gobit quickly rescued the unconscious Skazer and healed him with a potion of greater healing, restoring him to consciousness with his horns now reduced to bleeding bone stubs. Despite the painful sacrifice, the party had successfully negotiated safe passage through the dragon's territory, allowing them to continue their journey south. They traveled another 15 miles through the area without incident, with the terrain gradually becoming soggier and more marshy as they approached their destination.
The landscape transformed as they reached the edge of a swampland, where the ground became soft and soggy, thick trees grew more densely, and a stream ran down from the mountains. This marked the boundary of the mysterious southern region they had set out to explore. The party placed a beacon at the start of the swamp to mark their progress before returning to Siothruna, having successfully completed the first phase of their southern expedition.
Back in the city, the party conducted business with local merchants, selling their gathered materials for profit. Kogath sold his shadow dust for 10 gold and his Boneset flowers for 25 gold, while Gobit earned 30 gold from his plant sales. They learned about Shar Delian, the proprietor of the Delian Delight wine store, who specialized in buying rare wines and could learn to make new varieties. Kogath considered making a business deal with her regarding his valuable fire wine worth 30 gold, while Ulam planned to spend his downtime working on advanced archery techniques for shooting multiple arrows simultaneously.