Read the following to your players:

Years have passed since the titans were cast down and the Dragonlords returned. Mytros prospered, its fleets securing the Cerulean Gulf and its influence spreading along every coastal city. Tribute flowed, alliances hardened, and some whispered that Mytros sought to rule all of Thylea. Aresia, the second most powerful city in the land and Mytros’s ancient rival, answered with steel. Lacking ships but fielding the finest army, Aresia aided rebels and won frightened cities to its side. War followed. Mytros launched a grand expedition to conquer Aresia, but the first assault collapsed in disaster. The survivors entrenched themselves, forming camps around the walls. For three bitter years, the armies of Mytros have surrounded Aresia, unable to break through or retreat. The siege grinds on.

Allow each player to decide what their view of the ongoing siege is. The Opinion of the War Table gives several ideas that a player can choose or randomly determine.

Meeting With Ekoh#

The adventure begins when the heroes are brought together to hear the petition of a famous nymph named Ekoh. She claims to know the secrets of divinity and wishes to share the knowledge with the heroes. Each of the heroes receives the following letter:

Greetings [Name]—I have an urgent matter that demands the attention of the Dragonlords. I humbly request your presence at the Theater of the Gods in Mytros. I swear upon my honor that you will find this matter greatly to your interest as Thylea’s new peacekeepers.

—Ekoh

The Theater of the Gods#

Ekoh (CN Oread Nymph, appendix B, The Great Labors) meets the heroes in the Theater of the Gods in Mytros (area M3, chapter 3, The Great Labors). Ekoh has a curious verbal tic that causes her to repeat the last phrase of every sentence.

You find a beautiful woman waiting to meet with you in the empty theater. “Thank you for answering my summons. I am called Ekoh.” Her skin is like polished obsidian, while her hair is like freshly fallen snow. She stands tall and proud, with sharply defined features that give her a striking and commanding presence. “Five hundred years ago, my betrothed—Narsus, the God of Beauty—was stolen away from me by the queen of Aresia. For half a millennium, her descendants have kept Narsus imprisoned in the dungeons of their foul city. Many wars have been fought to free him—but the Aresian campaigns have amounted to nothing.” “Since then, Aresia has held him as a trophy, an ornament for their glory. You may believe Narsus has languished and the centuries have dulled him. Aresia believes they hold a helpless god.” A faint smile crosses her lips. “They do not. Recently, Narsus uncovered a secret ritual that can raise mortals to godhood. The rulers of Aresia will use him to crown themselves as gods. If they succeed, no city, no kingdom, will stand against them. We must reach him first. Rescue him, and he will share what he has learned. But if we allow this secret to remain in Aresian hands … imagine the consequences!”

While Ekoh is vague on the details, she is absolutely confident that Narsus has the ability to elevate the heroes to true godhood. The ‘divine path’ is a well-studied concept at the Academy in Mytros, but it’s mostly a collection of myths and legends. If such a ritual actually exists, then who better but a god to discover it?

Ekoh presses the heroes to take control of the armies of Mytros that lay siege to Aresia so they can force Queen Helen to hand over her betrothed. She reminds them that Aresia is effectively a rogue kingdom that should be unified with Mytros by the authority of the Dragonlords.

The Truth About Narsus#

After listening to Ekoh’s proposal, the party will have much to discuss. If possible, they should consult with one of the Five Gods. Otherwise, they can consult with the Oracle—or Aesop from the Dragon Shrine (area E7, chapter 2, The Great Labors). Whoever they consult, read the following:

“What Ekoh says is true: Narsus is the God of Beauty, and he is a lost sibling of the Five. But there is much that she did not tell you. “Narsus was self-absorbed, selfish, and obsessed with the beauty that he attained when he was transformed from a dragon into a god. In his vanity, he lost his way. He refused to aid the mortals during the First War. For this betrayal, the other gods disowned him. And when he was taken by Aresia, it was deemed justice.” “There are old legends of a ritual called Theogenesis … a path by which a mortal might ascend to godhood. I always believed it a myth, a warning for the vain and the reckless. But now … I fear I may have been wrong.” “If Narsus has truly learned the secrets of godhood, then we must take action. That much power is dangerous in the hands of a rival kingdom. You must rescue Narsus.”

Versi—or whoever advises the party—admits that Narsus is not clever enough to lie about knowing the secrets of godhood. And despite his vanity, he would almost certainly share his knowledge with whoever rescues him from captivity. Moreover, it is the duty of the Dragonlords to recover such knowledge.

Queen Helen has no formal diplomatic relationship with Mytros, and she does not recognize the authority of the Dragonlords. The only way to treat with her directly would be by ending the siege with a victory. They should take command and make this happen.

The army of Mytros is currently under the command of Taran Neurdagon, the richest man in Mytros. He is a prideful man and unlikely to relinquish control easily.

Allow the heroes to discuss amongst themselves the best course of action. However, have Versi interrupt early in their discussion and tell them that it is wiser to make a decision once they have seen things on the ground. Other options might become apparent.

Oath of Service to Lutheria#

Since Lutheria aims to break her end of the bargain, the heroes will be released from their Oath of Service (appendix D, The Great Labors). The following should happen at some point near the start of the adventure as foreshadowing of what is to come.

The Oath is Broken#

The following occurs if the heroes have an Oath of Service with Lutheria. It occurs as the heroes travel to Aresia. Read the following:

From the skies above, shadows streak across the sun. Three winged figures descend—graceful and terrible. When they land, you know who they are. These are the Furies. One steps forward and her voice rings out: “The Oath is broken. Lutheria will not uphold her end, and so you are no longer bound. Your service is ended. Your chains are ash.” Her wings flare behind her and she lifts into the air, quickly followed by her sisters.

This will likely bring some consternation to the heroes as they have no idea the manner in which the Oath was broken.

Backward Adventure Background The Siege Forward