When Dameron awoke, he recalled his Premonition: “Do not destroy them [the Greenspawn Eggs] in haste—perhaps they may be redeemed. Their destruction would be devastating for your scaled companion.”
Camwise summoned a Gate from Beyond to bring the mounts into the tower cellar and Dameron cast Transfer Exhaustion, absorbing Camwise’s Strife. With Watt’s assistance, Camwise opened the sarcophagus portal into the Lordrhest hatchery. Once through the portal, the Daring Friends found themselves in a hatchery of large eggs being tended to by a Greenspawn Razorfiend. They killed the creature before it could make a move. Gruffudd transformed into an octopus and investigated the water while Balthasar and Camwise examined the runes on the silver drakkenwhyte eggs. Gruffudd explained that ogres guarded a nearby building that could be entered from the water beneath. The eggs were carefully strapped onto Ass’ saddlebags. Gruffudd cast Pass Without Trace and the Daring Friends swam across to the nearby building. Under a hole in the building’s floor was a large pile of coins and other assorted treasure. The Daring Friends climbed the treasure hoard into the empty room above. Above the hole in the floor was a similar hole in the ceiling where ogres could be heard roaming about. More voices could be heard outside the room’s double doors. Alerting the ogres above, Dameron cast Bless, Camwise cast Haste on Balthasar, and Balthasar cast Blur on himself. As the ogres leaped down into the room, Balthasar opened the door and engaged the ettin on the other side. After an intense battle where Lightning Bolts were hurled by Gruffudd and Dameron, Camwise brought the roof down with a Thunderbolt, and Nurklenak, a hobgoblin Mindbender, dropped Gruffudd in a Wall of Fire until he was revived by Dameron, the enemies were defeated and the Daring Friends began searching through the hoard where they found the Ghostlord’s phylactery and a letter: Saarvith my dear, Take great care with the enclosed object: a phylactery, the sealed soul of the Ghostlord. Our shadowscale pair went through great peril to acquire it. I need not explain to you what the Ghostlord would do if he knew where I had sent it for safekeeping; I somehow doubt he'd permit us to continue our residence in his abode! Hide the phylactery somewhere safe- perhaps it could be trusted to your dragon friend’s keeping? You told me how Regiarix has been replenishing his hoard ever since that human lordling plundered his lair all those years ago. Keep the phylactery hidden until Brindol is taken. Should it fall into the hands of someone who could return it to its owner, the consequences for our effort could be dire indeed. Our passions joined in hunt, storm, and song, Ulwai Jaervellios warned us that the wode-elves would not appreciate the presence of the phylactery. He also confided in us that the Ghostlord was a wode-elf binder. The Daring Friends packed up their haul on their boat and headed downstream toward the elves at Starsong Hill. On the way, Camwise veered the boat toward the tower and insisted on entering to see Watt. When he returned, he said he needed all the group’s gemstones for a ritual. Despite concluding that Camwise was mentally compromised, Balthasar gave Camwise the gems. When they reached Starsong Hill, Killiar brought them into the encampment to speak with Sellyria and the Listener who required them to convince the Ghostlord to replant the phylactery. In return, the elves agreed to transport them closer to the Ghostlord’s lair on their giant owls. The Daring Friends spent the night resting in or around Starsong Hill.
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