Episode 35 - Secrets Lost, Secrets Kept

When we last left our heroes, the party confronted Cinderbeard in the molten depths of the catacombs of the dwarven city of Hammerhand. The young red dragon unleashed a corridor‑filling blast of fire, but Nick Beardless, Ahl d’Kukyz, and Wynder survived—whether by luck, dwarven runes etched into the stone, or sheer instinct as they dove for cover.

Scomitch answered the dragon’s fury with a barlgura from the Abyss—an orange, Cheeto‑colored ape‑bear‑pig that hurled itself into the lava to battle the wyrm. The demon fell, but not before carving deep wounds into Cinderbeard. Ary stood alone in the final moments, his spells and arrows forcing the dragon to yield at last.

“Enough! You’ve proven your mettle, flesh‑slugs. I yield… for now. But dragons measure time in centuries. Remember that when you sleep tonight.”

Cinderbeard followed Ary to the binding chamber and his hoard. Nick, raising his great axe, nearly finished the wounded dragon then and there, but the party quickly stopped him. Hammerhand still needed the wyrm’s fire to survive. As the Embersteel Collar was fastened and the binding rites spoken, Nick noticed something strange: every gold and platinum bar bore a graven image of conflict… and broken chains.

Before the party left, Nick Beardless did a 180 and promised Cinderbeard that he would one day return and free the wyrm from Hammerhand’s chains.

Back in the dwarven council chamber, Thrain Greybeard received the party with stunned gratitude. “Stone and steel… ye actually did it. Ye brought the fire‑whelp to heel. Ye be having Clan Greybeard’s respect.”

With Cinderbeard secured, the party turned to Radick Blackroot’s most urgent problem. Myconids have overrun the eastern Fungus Farm, cutting off access to the sacred Blackroot used in clan rituals. The heroes must break through, negotiate, or secure the harvest before it spoils.

But first—shopping, resupply, and a visit to the Embla Museum to learn more about the mysterious symbol stamped into the dragon’s hoard.