Goro the Barely Serene Log

2026-10-26 — The Scroll Thief, part 2

Pressed Master Opanrael, the Head Curator, and Scribe Master Cassra Brandywine about the missing scribe Ellison Berenger and senior librarian Garda Greenleaf until an ear-splitting boom shook Mantor’s Library from the Archives below. Found a wall blasted open among the stacks and, beyond the hole, Garda’s body; he had been murdered with a blunt blow to the back of the head. Besides the stolen treatise on the Weave and Ren o’ the Blade’s memoirs, the Archives held many works by Denlor, the famous wizard. Descended into the sub-basement, where the Zhentarim once burned forbidden books (and, rumour has it, political prisoners); only among the shadows rising from the soot and charred bones did we hear footsteps fleeing into the dark. Put down the shadows and gave chase. Searched a secret cache ransacked by Ellison and recovered a bone crown set with rubies from its shelves. Followed a second blast hole into the sewers of Phlan, down to a spillway. Slew the carrion crawlers feeding there on an unidentified charred corpse. On the corpse was a backpack holding an intact Scroll of Fireball, a few dozen gold pieces, a parchment listing the stolen book titles, and a note with a map: “Rythnax” circled in the Twilight Marsh and an unsigned order to meet Rythnax in the marsh east of the city and slay any that discover his work. Tracked Ellison half a day east along the Phlan Path and found him—burned, poisoned, and bandaged—by a campfire outside a mound-lair. As we tried to sneak up on Ellison, Rythnax, a black dragon wyrmling serving the Cult of the Dragon, came out of the lair. Sir Nose put the wyrmling to sleep; we restrained and killed it. Ellison handed over a Scroll of Hold Person and a purse of some four hundred gold, and told us Rythnax had communicated by Sending spell: “Phlan will need to fall to reach the Pool of Radiance.” Returned to Phlan and gave Ellison into the custody of the Black Fist; he was prosecuted and sentenced to death. Master Opanrael rewarded us nearly five hundred gold for our services.

(Continued adventure from 2026-09-28.)

Magic Items: Headband of Intellect (Uncommon)

2026-09-28 — The Scroll Thief, part 1

Incomplete: Knight Aleyd Burral of the Black Fist enlisted us to investigate more thefts around Scholar’s Square, with Mantor’s Library involved once again. Scribe Master Cassra Brandywine, who answers to the library’s Head Curator, Master Opanrael, called them a “raid of the town’s knowledge”. Questioned the victims of the three book thefts: Aya Glenmiir (a treatise on the Weave), Marten Foss (a memoir of Ren o’ the Blade), and Agin Lamarck (“Lords and Lineages of Phlan”). Found blue ink at every scene. At Aya’s, the thief had picked a chest lock and used a scroll of dispel magic to get past the wards on her door and windows; the spent scroll’s vellum came from a shop we recognized. The stolen treatise included a section on banishment magic—useful to anyone wanting to undo a banishment. Marten told us the story of the Pool of Radiance and of Tyranthraxus, a daemon who had possessed a bronze dragon. Glevith of the Welcomers had been following us; we ambushed and grabbed him at the teahouse. He told us that one of their own, Abber, had turned out to be a member of the Cult of the Dragon; they cut his throat once they found out, but not before learning that Abber had a contact in Mantor’s Library. Abber had carried a note signed “B”, in the same blue ink and on the same vellum. Goro sent a rat to spy on Cassra’s office. Learned that two library staff, Ellison Berenger and Garda Greenleaf, had gone missing, along with some scrolls. After 3h of play, we did not yet catch the Scroll Thief.

• 2026-09-15 Trading Post — Ring of Fire Resistance → Ring of Spell Storing: Peer: Robert / Aegis Wardlock. Source: DDHC-TFTYP-4.

2026-09-14 — The Courting of Fire

Enlisted by the Lord Sage of Phlan to find the thief of several tomes from Mantor’s Library. Discovered that the thief, Spernik, was connected to the Cult of the Dragon, and had fled to the subterranean ruins of the Temple of the Scale. Spernik’s plot included recovering a relic—a huge scale from an ancient red dragon—and using it to gain favor with a Scorlworyx, a red dragon living in the Dragonspire Mountains. After defeating a troop of Spernik’s kobold minions in the Standing Stones, and eliminating a trio of oozes within the ruins, Spernik was found face down, dead from traps he’d sprung attempting to access the relic. Confronted the wight guarding the relic and sent it to the afterlife. Recovered the relic and the tomes, and turned them over to the Lord Sage.

Consumed: Potion of Healing, Scroll of Goodberry

Magic Items: Ring of Fire Resistance (Rare)

• 2026-09-12 Continual Flame — Lapis lazuli pendant: Cast Continual Flame on lapis lazuli and crafted it into a pendant on a leather strap.
• 2026-09-12 Purchase Equipment — Adventuring gear: Unworked lapis lazuli (5gp).
• 2026-09-12 Purchase Magical Components — Continual Flame: Ruby dust (50gp).
• 2026-09-01 Purchase Magical Components — Battle Familiar: Diamond (25gp).

2026-08-31 — Dues for the Dead

Entered the catacombs underneath Valhingen Graveyard at the behest of Doomguide Yovir, cleric of Kelemvor. Found and destroyed several ghouls and zombies. Permitted a gang of the Welcomers to escape after returning their ill-gotten loot. Discovered the lab of Rorreth, Red Wizard of Thay. Defeated his retinue of kobolds, skeletons, and Thayan Knight. Uncovered Rorreth’s ambitions to overcome Phlan with undead in order to locate something known as the “Pool of Radiance”.

Consumed: Potion of Healing

Magic Items: Goggles of Night (Uncommon)

• 2026-08-21 Awaken — Giant Wolf Spider: Cast Awaken on the giant wolf spider, granting it sentience. Bestowed upon it the name “Charlotte” and the ability to speak Primordial (Aquan).
• 2026-08-20 Locate Animal + Animal Friendship — Giant Wolf Spider: Found a giant wolf spider in the forests outside Phlan and befriended it.
• 2026-08-19 Trading Post — Ring of Evasion → Staff of the Woodlands: Peer: Self / Kragor Grimstride. Source: DDAL07-08.

2026-08-17 — Shadows over Moonsea

Investigated coastal attacks and a rumoured ghost ship, tracking clues from Phlan’s leaders to a secluded island village. A little girl and her blind goat led the party to the island’s “forest spirit”—actually a lemure guarding a pact in which the villagers traded their souls to Tiamat. After dispatching the fiend, the party faced a black ghost ship crewed by disguised kobolds of the Cult of the Dragon, led by Master Ixas, and defeated them in battle.

Magic Items: Ring of Evasion (Rare)

• 2026-07-21 Purchase Equipment — Adventuring gear: Yklwa.

2026-07-20 — Secrets of Sokol Keep

Discovered the mystery behind the lighthouse outage on Thorn Island atop Sokol Keep. Destroyed an evil idol of Dagon and the undead it animated. Recovered Igan Sokol’s murdered corpse, arrested the murderer, and rescued trapped Black Fist guards.

Magic Items: Potion of Healing (Consumable), Wand of Magic Detection (Uncommon)

2026-07-06 — Defiance in Phlan

Intercepted the sale of a red dragon egg, marking the merchant for tracking by the Harpers, and defeating a gang known as “the Welcomers”.

Magic Items: Potion of Healing (Consumable)

• 2026-06-24 Purchase Equipment — Adventuring gear: Ball Bearings, Bedroll, Bolts, Caltrops, Crowbar, Flask of oil ×2, Hempen rope, Light Crossbow, Quarterstaff, Rations (1 day) ×10, Shield, Tinderbox, Torch, Waterskin.