Prologue: 6 Days Earlier...

Thornguard Emblem

A brisk wind swept through the sleepy streets of Briarwood as stars twinkled in the cloudless night sky above. Clutching his thick cloak closer to fend off the chill, the Elven Ranger Aeristel strolled home from a late night at the Rose & Thistle. The berry harvest festival was winding down, and last year's barrels needed to be emptied for the fresh harvest. Even through the haze of exhaustion and mead, Aeristel's keen hunting perception caught glimpses of tree squirrels and mice scampering in the moonlight.

Rounding the last corner to his dwelling, Aeristel finds himself face to face with Vyksyl Valsung and two Elven members of the Thornguard. Vyksyl was dressed in his typical long linen robe dyed a deep green, with bright yellow Briarwood runes of different sizes embroidered seemingly at random along the length. The two Thornguards wore basic recruit padded armor, one carrying a crude quarterstaff and the other a small dirk and wooden shield. Etched onto the surface of the shield and woven into the padded armor was the poetic Thornguard emblem of two back-to-back thorns.

Vyksyl spoke in a soft tone "Aeristel, I have a task that requires a high level of discretion, one that could use someone of your talents. Your hunting and tracking skills are well known in the Elven circles - you have come highly recommended." Nodding slowly Vyksyl continued "I trust that I can rely on your continued support."

While it might have been the mead or an eagerness to get back out into the wilderness for an adventure, Aeristel agrees to the mission. Vyksyl introduces the two Thornguards who will accompany him, Dayne a burly Elven Fighter and Nizzat a shaggy Elvan Druid. Vyksyl explained that trade caravans have not been returning from Arcadon, one of Briarwood's major trading partners. Arcadon is known for its grand metal refinery atop the central plateau of the City, the furnaces roar day and night. Metal has come under such short supply that the Thornguard have resorted to wooden, stone, woven and leather equipment. All attempts to reach Arcadon via roads have also gone silent. As to not raise a panic so close to mayoral elections; Aeristel, Dayne, and Nizzat are to discretely travel, as the crow flies, directly West to Arcadon and report back what they find. Nodding slowly and handing him a rune of Message, Vyksyl abruptly turns and walks away.

The next morning after a quick stop at the Thornguard armory, the scouting party departs due West. After about a day into the journey Aeristel notices some curious tracks along a game path. There appears to be fresh boar hoof marks and a scattering of Kobold footprints. Following these tracks the Kobold prints look to surround the boar prints and what appears to be a small pool of blood. There are Kobold prints and blood droplets headed North, which the small party follows stealthily behind the tracking Aeristel.

The thorny woods begin to thicken and their path is down to a prickly single file. Aeristel drops to the dirt and army crawls ahead, finding a small igloo-like structure of thorny vines with a soft billowing of smoke wafting out of the roof. Taking a peek inside there are four Kobolds sitting around a boar roasting over a spitting fire. They don't take any notice to him, so he takes the opportunity to retreat back to his party to formulate a plan.

After a heated debate, Dayne leads the charge into the thorny hut, bravely slashing the air at no one in particular with his dull dirk. Sticking out his tongue to assist with intense concentration, Nizzat conjures a patch of Entangling Roots surrounding the cooking fire, snagging two of the Kobolds while Aeristel launches a volley of arrows bringing down three of them. The final Kobold soils himself and makes a beeline for a small opening at the rear of the hut. In that moment Dayne found his purpose in life, grabbing the Kobold by the ankles and yanking him out of the hole right into an arrow loosed by the party's Ranger. Tonight the scouting party dined on fresh roasted boar.

After a short rest and a full belly, the scouting party continues on their trek West towards Arcadon, blocked by the Salton Mountain range. The group decides to scale the mountain instead of taking the safer mountain pass that would add over two days to their journey - time is of the essence. As luck would have it, the party was provisioned with a climbing kit, which saved Nizzat from a fatal fall after a foothold gave way.  At the top of the cliff face was a small plateau, with a Great Eagle's nest nearby. The party ignores it and continues on down the gentle treed slope towards Arcadon.

A sound coming from the North, which can only be described as a combination of a screech and a roar, startles the party.  Small rocks and stones begin to tumble down the slope as a hungry Owlbear screeches toward them. The scouting party, fearing their numbers were too small to take on such a beast, dash down the slope and successfully make a daring escape.

About half a days travel further through a sparse forest a clearing opens up near one of Arcadon's defensive towers.  The tower is in ruin, and surrounded by hundreds of thousands of empty canvas tents.  A vast army was here. There are too many footprints to count, but they are clearly Dragonborn, a usually secluded race.  Taking cover Ariestel pulls out the Rune of Message that Vyksyl had given him - concentrating his thoughts he opens a psychic dialog with Vyksyl, reporting what they have found. Vyksyl issues new orders "Stay concealed, observe the camp, wait for reinforcements".  Breaking off the psychic connection, Aeristel's senses slowly return, only to discover the shadows of four large figures towering over the party...