Adventure Summary - Slaves of the Dragon
Several years ago, kobolds under the leadership of a dragon (actually a human lycanthrope) with the name Eskaron took control over a few human villages, among them Grenton. Grenton was also home to Eskaron's father, Meras, who would claim that Eskaron was no real dragon. Originally, Eskaron left his father be, but one day, he resolved to execute him personally in his half-lizard form. Unbeknownst to him, he was watched by a small girl, Sina, who fled the town after witnessing Meras' death. As the kobolds were still searching for her, she met Jakub, a merchant on his way to Orussus.
He took her to the Red Dragon Inn, where he gathered a large number of adventurers (Farid, Jack, Katherine, Opale, Planus, Quarion, Rika, Thanyvan, Veras-Re) to free Grenton from Eskaron's grasp. He brought them to Allimon, where he outfitted them with horses, and they set out south, first passing through the tiny Felden, twice, hearing that Grenton no longer buys much.
After leaving Felden, the group came across a team of kobolds that was searching for Sina, led by Z'zess. After defeating the kobolds and interrogating them, turning up the first evidence that not all kobolds stand behind Eskarons' rule, Jakub took the captured kobolds back to Allimon to put in custody. As the group approached Grenton, they split up, one group exploring the surroundings and the forest to the south, and the other entering Grenton proper.
The group entering Grenton is greeted by a person in a watchtower and by Sina's mother, Jeline, then buy a few nights of sleep in the barn of an old man, Marl. In the morning, the illusionist in the group, Opale, takes the appearance of Marl to talk to Jeline while the remaining adventurers occupy him. However, Opale is a bit careless in her choice of words, and makes the listening kobolds suspicious, so they prepare to ambush the adventurers and burn down Grenton after the adventurers leave town.
The group exploring the wilderness circles the village, finding the east watchtower manned by a sleeping guard, and the southern watchtower a simple hollow shell. Continuing to the forest, the group finds a campsite for the night, and the druid Quarion sends his wolf Garma to hunt. During the night, Garma catches sight of a kobold procession, along with Eskaron, and flees. The next morning, they follow where Garma met the Dragon and follow the trails to a clearing, where they witness enslaved villagers from elsewhere giving their produce to the kobolds and Eskaron. Outnumbered, the group heads back towards Grenton.
Shortly after the two groups rejoined and started planning their potential attack against Eskaron, the kobolds sprung their own ambush. However, the combined group had little difficulty defeating them. They did however learn that Grenton was in danger. Rushing back to the village, with Jack scouting ahead, they see the preparations to burn down the village and the attempt to grab anything that may still be valuable, the villagers imprisoned. Jack frees the first villagers as the remaining adventurers arrive, and they make short work of the threat, with only Marl's house being set on fire, which is quickly put out.
With the threat gone for the time being, the villagers split into two camps, one of which wants to stay and help the adventurers, the other which wants to abandon Grenton to begin a new life and forget Eskaron and the kobolds. Katherine manages to sway them somewhat while some of the group explore the kobold tunnels beneath the village, finding them mostly abandoned but for a dying old priest in a shrine, who tells them more about Eskaron and the kobold factions, helps them with a phrase to distinguish between hostile and friendly kobolds, and tries to tell them Eskaron's secret. Later a group from Felden arrived to help.
Interpreting the words of the dying priest, the group coats some of its weapons with silver, hoping for Eskaron to be a lycanthrope, and the next day, they and a group of ten villagers sets out to Eskaron's lair, while the remaining villagers create makeshift barricades. In the lair, the heroes battle a number of kobolds, enlisting the aid of a kobold druid for the final battle against Eskaron and a large kobold troop. In that final battle, the druid cut off Eskaron's escape route, and the remaining heroes manage to take down the hostile kobolds and Eskaron, with Farid beheading Eskaron.
With Eskaron's death, the new kobold leaders withdraw from the occupied villages and with Jakub's help leave some reparations. Sina is brought back to Grenton. The new kobold leaders try for peace with Grenton, though the years of slavery aren't easily forgotten. Z'zess is set free by Farid, Katherine, Opale, and Quarion.
Location Information
Felden
Felden is a tiny town between Allimon and Grenton, about fourty miles from each, little more than a few houses on each side of a path with several fields. It doesn't typically appear on maps.
Felden no longer has an inn, as very few travellers come through since Grenton has had its problems. Some people are willing to rent out rooms.
Sunrods are not available in Felden. They have torches, after all.
Grenton
Grenton is too small to appear on most maps. It lies south to south-south west from Allimon, south-west from Orussus, and north-west from Lathirn. It is about 80 miles away from Allimon.
Grenton's occupation by Eskaron's clan began about five years before Sina fled.
Grenton is guarded by four rather crude watchtowers, evenly spaced, with flags that can be arranged to signal approaching people.
The southern watchtower is actually hollow, and only exists to keep appearances up - the kobolds don't expect much trouble from their own lands, and thus don't mind the growing brush that would obscure the vision of guards in that tower.
At the time the adventurers arrived in Grenton, it had no inn, and few villagers were willing to provide room.
Grenton has a marketplace and a forge.
There is a tunnel network beneath Grenton dug by the kobolds. Marl's house and barn are two of the few buildings not connected to it, and many villagers are locked into them as the kobolds prepare the burning of Grenton. The tunnel network is surprisingly clean.
To the south of Grenton is a forest, a few hours of travel removed. It contains a number of clearings that were used by Eskaron's clan and the enslaved villages for unseen delivery of the confiscated wares.
Within the forest, on a hill by a lake, lies a cottage that disguises an entrance into Eskaron's lair.
Eskaron's Lair
The cottage that hides the entrance to Eskaron lair is small, containing only a false bed and a kitchen, and has a small chimney. It has a single door with a lock, and windows to the east and the west each. The windows are locked by a simple hook. There seems to be a mechanism to open the western wall.
The bed is little more than a frame with sheets draped over it, disguising an unlit tunnel going downwards. It contains a pulley system that might be used for transporting goods. A level in the tunnel might be able to open the west wall. It is about 100 feet long and opens into the western end of a large room.
The room is square, over 100 feet large at each wall. It has one exit to the east leading to a krenshar pen, and one exit north leading to a hexagonal assembly hall. That hall is level with the lake, and by the north wall contains a small pool connected to it, as an exit for Eskaron. Each of the other walls sports a door.
The northwestern door leads through a trapped tunnel to Eskaron's sanctum. Most traps are spear traps, but one blade trap sits in the middle of the tunnel. A lever under Eskaron's bed can arm and disarm the trap. Eskaron's room is obviously, but sparsly, furnished for a human. A desk full with books and papers, a bed, and a chest are the only visible pieces of furniture. A second door leads further to the northwest. Behind it, one finds another chest.
Most of the kobold tunnels are surprisingly clean, apart from the one leading to the krenshar pen.