Flying as a raven, Gruffudd spotted the wizard’s dropped brooch, swooped down, retrieved it, returned it to Camwise, and flew into the tower.
Meanwhile, rattled from the near fall, Dameron realized he had seen this tower in a dream and shared with his companion that a mean manticore worked as a mercenary in the ruined barracks of the keep. Balthasar and Jaervellios shot down the lone hobgoblin they could see in the tower as Dameron and Camwise finally reached the top. Dameron cast Bless on Balthasar, Gruffudd, and Jaervellios, as they descended through the trap door and down the stairs below to the first floor where a giant bugbear was waiting for them, wand in hand. Wyrmlord Koth pointed the wand and cast Lightning Bolt, blasting Balthasar, Gruffudd, and Dameron, as he bolted out the tower door. Balthasar ran to the door and breathed flames on the Koth and his minions beyond. A minotaur charged the door but was repelled by Balthasar’s gaze. Gruffudd summoned a dire centipede to attack our enemies, and it did so vigorously, poisoning many of them into paralysis, including Koth himself, but not before the bugbear cast Ball Lightning in the majority of the tower floor. Dameron fell to the lightning and was revived by Gruffudd’s Healing Word. By then, Wyrmlord Koth was unconscious and his minions, including the minotaur, a worg and its rider, and hobgoblin blade bearers, all lay dead. Catching their breath, Camwise cast Enlarge on Balthasar and they exited the tower only to find an angry manticore waiting in the courtyard. “The Sorcerer Wyrmlord Koth is dead. There is no one to pay you, so take your things and fly away!” Dameron demanded while Balthasar stalked forward intimidatingly, adding, “Unless you want to meet the same fate!” The manticore considered for a moment and then agreed to gather its things and depart. After ensuring that Wyrmlord Koth was tied up, gagged, and blinded with a sack over its head, they chased down and slaughtered the escaped worg and riders. When they returned to the keep, they searched it for hours. On Wymlord Koth, they retrieved a Bag of Holding, a Wand of Lightning Bolt, a Potion of Fly, two Potions of Greater Healing, a scroll of Find Steed, a Truth Serum, and a masterwork morningstar. In a nearby room, they found a massive map of the region pinned to the table's surface by daggers. The map contained numerous notes scrawled in Goblin which Camwise translated using Comprehend Languages. He explained that a large group of goblinoids was gathering at Cinder Hill to the north and were planning on crossing the bridge at Skull Gorge to attack Drellin’s Ferry before proceeding west. To the south an area was ominously labeled: Ghostlord. In the tower, Camwise found a trapdoor in the floor as well as a set of keys hidden behind a loose stone in the wall. Descending the ladder beneath the trapdoor, they found what appeared to have been the vault of the tower’s original owner, Amery Vraath. Lying by one of the chamber’s three alcoves was a two-hundred-year-old corpse who appeared to be that of none other than Amery Vraath himself. Camwise recalled the legend of Vraath Keep; when the noble lord, Amery Vraath, and his campaigners drove the Twistusk forest giants from the Witchwood into the mountains. But the giants returned and attacked Vraath Keep, bombarding the keep with huge boulders. From Amery's corpse, they retrieved Gauntlets of Ogre Power and a Frost Brand Longsword. From the lockboxes, they retrieved 2,500 silver coins, 2,100 gold coins, the deed to Vraath Keep, as well as various books and ledgers of Vraath Keep's history. From the large trunk, they retrieved the skull of a young black dragon, a thick string of giant teeth, a Mithral Chain Shirt adorned with draconic and goblinoid imagery, a Staff of Fading Autumn, and an enchanted giant-sized Spiked Gauntlet. Finally, after a short rest, the Daring Friends revived Wyrmlord Koth and began their interrogation. The bugbear refused to provide any information, but Camwise was able to ascertain much using Detect Thoughts. Koth was a newcomer among the four Wyrmlords that reported to the high Wyrmlord, Azarr Kul, who in turn reports directly to Takhisis. He was able to confirm that thousands of goblinoids were gathering at Cinder Hill to the north and were planning on crossing the bridge at Skull Gorge in three days to attack Drellin’s Ferry before proceeding west. A green dragon, Ozurrendion, is guarding Skull Gorge. He didn’t know anything about the Ghostlord, but Jaervellios winced at the name. Asked about the Ghostlord later, the elf insisted that the name was a curse and an enemy to all life. He suggested that the mark was likely made as an indication of a place to stay away from, adding, "The Ghostlord allies with none." When they were done, Dameron smashed Koth’s head in with his hammer while Gruffudd drove a sword through its chest. In the morning, they decorated the front of Vraath Keep with the spiked heads of Koth’s minions, with Koth’s head in the center.
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