======== Musharib's lament ========
Musharib: That jewelry - I saw my sister's Sithi's ring among the treasures you collected. I had hoped to find her unharmed. But she would have never parted with it. It was her promise ring to Ruthgart. They were promised to each other as kids and he's was distraught at having been separated from her. But she and some warriors took to the tunnels to fight while the rest of my people fled to the lands above.
I seek to reclaim my people's homeland but I also hoped that I would find my sister unharmed.
======== Passage to Hrakhamar ========
Small group of shine dwarves accost group. "These caves we've rigged to collapse or explode. What business have you traveling in our lands?"
Mushirib pushes to the front of the group and calls out tentatively. "Sithi is it you?"
Sithi: "Who dares take my brother hostage?"
Mushirib: "No Sithi I found help!. But how can this be? I saw your promise ring Ruthgart still lives in the jungles above and has held true to our parent's promise."
Sithi: "Forget their promise! I will not promise myself to any dwarf that fled rather than stand in fight. I gave my ring to Dalant after he gave me comfort following a set of tragic losses, I would rather be promised to a dwarf who will stand and fight by my side then a coward who cowers above. Dalant went to find another way out of the mines and never returned from scouting wyrmhart. Weapons down. This is my brother and they are "allies" he found. What are your interests and what has my brother promised you?"
Mushirib: "no sister, you do not understand. These are formidable warriors in their own way. I watched with my own eyes while they slayed the dragon Tzindhar. Our people will no longer have to worry that the dragon finds a way in to lay claim to our land into their bounty. They have managed what none of our warbands ever could. I trust them with my life."
Sithi looks dubiously over your group and then says "my brother does not lie so I will accept your aid on behalf of my people. All that the fire newts have is yours, The forge and our vault. I would claim for my people."
My warriors can guide you past the fire new patrols to the heart of Harakhamar. When the fire newts first appeared, they were crude wielding stone weapons and throwing globs of lava. But as we've fought them, we saw them slowly have more and more dwarven made weapons and now they appear to have figured out how to make weapons and armor of their own crafting. My dwarves are hungry and wounded and badly outnumbered.
========= Firenewt Ambush =========
avoided
======== Forge of Hrakhamar ========
Party scouts the forge finding dwarven prisoners locked in cells with red hot bars. The firenewts have lava chickens they ride around that are more perceptive than the firenewts but luckily do not share a tongue. Leading to some confusion as newts remain oblivious to the party while their mounts become all too aware that something is up. Eddie suggests the group erect a rope trick as a secure fallback and then proceeds to try and make an opening in the guards.
Eddie suggests that one of the guards go chase some dwarves in another passage with the other sentries and succeeds in sending away several guards but one guard sees Eddie casting and starts raising the alarm and a long drawn out combat is started. The lava chickens are ridden by warlocks that lash out with fire magics but Freya undeterred leaps across the lava onto a chicken's back and slays its master and claims the reins for herself.
Eddie unloads his wand into another warlock and Kylorin runs over and smites a chicken dropping it. The unmounted warlock turns and flees by diving into the lava but occasionally emerges from the lava to shout warnings raising the alarm in the northern part of the complex. Freya unwilling to let the warlock escape - chases down the warlock but her mount misunderstanding the instructions proceeds to dive into the lava as well luckily for Freya her mount is fireproof. (but it still almost burns her legs off in the process) Freya does manages to slay the warlock and successfully urges her chicken back to the rest of the group. Another warlock attempts to split the party with a flaming sphere but Celadon counterspells the offensive and the group gathers on the bridge. Lindal runs forward to scout the tunnel ahead as it is one of the few places where the group can limit the number of enemies that can fight them at once.
Meanwhile the alarm slowly spreads throughout the forge slowed only by the pounding of the great machine making communication difficult between different sections of the complex. Soon a phalanx of heavily armed newts march from the north-east while the mounted infantry swim through the lava from the west. Meanwhile Lindal encounters a patrol of 6 soldiers marching down the tunnel directly towards the group.
Lindal tries to kill one of the soldiers but fails to hit them and proceeds to cast sanctuary on himself and then moves back towards the group. Eddie is stymied by the firenewt's fire resistance and relies on cantrips to harass the newts. Kylorin utters a blessing for the group and the blessing proves itself again and again as the group is inundated with fire magics. Kylorin thanks to her draconic heritage is able to shake off the barrage of fiery attacks. But Eddie standing nearby is not as lucky and is crisped almost immediately. Lindal seeing his friend fall and near death darts back and uses the healing magic of crocodile to bring Eddie back revealing that he has been a cleric of Crocodile for a while.
Shocked but seeing an opening Celadon darts out and singlehandedly turns the battle when he uses his crocodile charm to power up hypnotic pattern to neutralize the entire eastern flank setting into motion a power struggle among the newts as a denounced warlock was the only caster not affected by his magical entrancement and that warlock proceeds to use the opportunity to usurp command of the right flank.
Freya slowly befriends her chicken and uses it to push forward through the tunnel taking on the newt soldiers. Meanwhile Kylorin has to use her magic to heal herself as she successfully holds the rear flank against multiple waves of newt shock troops storming the bridge form the lava. Lindal darts to and fro occasionally landing crushing blows but often finding the heavy armor difficult to overcome. After a few minutes of fighting the newt heretic in the east calls out parley asking what the party plans. The party demands the newts leave Hrakhamar and the warlock agrees on the grounds that the party eliminate the remaining warlocks. A deal is struck and soon the soldiers are marching out of the great forge in an orderly fashion. The party set up to attack the remaining warlocks but having finally broken free of the suggestion the warlocks are creeping through the tunnels where they had last seen the party seeking revenge. In the end the two groups surprize each other in the stables. Blasted with firey magic the group quickly recover the initiative and slay the remaining warlocks and Celadon uses his ring of animal friendship to convince the lava-chicken that the group means it no harm and that it will be fed well if it stops fighting. Shocked that the group can speak with it the chicken agrees and the party proceeds to lick their wounds.
======== Vault of Hrakhamar ========
After freeing the prisoners the group hear that the vault is thought to have not fallen. And Lindal and Eddie attempt to sneak off and check. Freya sees them do so and follows and Celadon later excuses himself to see what the others are up to while Undril and Kylorin tend to the injured dwarves. The vault doors have been vandalized but the party eventually put together that there is a two part lock and Freya sees that there is even a cast for the keys. She goes off to forge new keys but Lindal and Eddie can't wait and shift into the vault and find a gem encrusted gauntlet as well as a suit of full plate and many stacks of iron and adamant ingots.
Freya finished crafting her keys and comes to find Lindal and Eddie gone and proceeds to open the vault. Lindal hearing the key turning warns Eddie who casts an illusion over the vault hiding him and Lindal (though it occurs to me later that the illusion would not be able to hide them only make something else appear or make the vault superficially appear to be undisturbed by projecting an image of the vault as it was). Hijinks are had, the gauntlet of Moradin is shown as destroyed and a trap is tripped retracting the bridge to the vault. Luckily Celadon stayed back and lets out Freya back out of the vault foyer in which she was trapped - an hour later Eddie and Lindal trudge back to camp as well.
========= Dwarven Trade =========
As the dwarves come back to Hrakhamar they will be quite grateful and will offer to craft items or sell goods to the party. Most items may take a week to be crafted unless already available. Simple items from PHB are available for purchase as well.
Components and Ink Market price
Potions
Fire Resistance 250
Greater Healing 250
Growth 250
Healing 65
Weapons
+1 Battleaxe 500
+1 Dagger 500
+1 Handaxe 500
+1 Shortsword 500
+1 Warhammer 500
Armor
Full plate 1500
Adamant armor 500 + armor price (metal armors only)
Dragon scale mail 5k (assuming 90% reduction in price due to supplying the materials)
+1 armor 5k + armor price
Fire resistance 5k + armor price
Inspiration
N/A - given during session
Experience (challenge based) 2700 Individual => 21281 cumulative
Mounted Warlock Watchers - (medium) 600
Phalanx of heavy troops - (hard) 900
Mounted shock troops - (hard) 900
Vault - (easy) 300
Challenge based XP notes from - https://dmdavid.com/tag/using-experience-points-to-make-your-dd-game-more-compelling/
Allies
Undril Silvertusk
Musharib
Treasure
Moradin’s Gauntlet