Session One: A Mission For Cyre

Four years after the destruction of Cyre on the Day of Mourning, the refugee camp of New Cyre is in crisis. Baron Zorlan d'Cannith arrives in New Cyre and tells Crown Prince Oargev ir'Wynarn that King Boranel ir'Wynarn of Breland, who lent the land on which New Cyre was built, is facing mounting pressure by his Parliament to dismantle the refugee camp and take the land back for Breland, scattering the 4,000 Cyran refugees. After a few days of planning, Oargev, advised by Zorlan and his spymaster Fi, decides to send a team of trusted agents into the Mournland to recover artifacts necessary to restore the Kingdom of Cyre.

The team Oargev chose consists of Nyx Feign, a changeling bard, Damarris, a tiefling ranger, Quartz, an earth genasi cleric, and Lou Gubryuz, a goblin artificer. They are tasked with acquiring four items from the ruins of four Cyran cities. Two artifacts are needed to rally Cyrans around Oargev and prove his claim to the Cyran throne; the Amulet of Galifar should be found around the neck of Queen Dannel ir'Wynarn, in the royal palaces of Metrol. Prince Oargev requests that, if at all possible, the party also bury the Queen's body in the royal catacombs after recovering the Amulet. The Wynarn Scrolls are to be found in a monastery in the city of Seaside. The other two artifacts will serve to help defend Oargev's claim; a Creation Forge Power Source will be found in the Cannith plant in the city of Eston, and the Cannith Staff, a weapon created by Zorlan, will be in the Cannith plant in the city of Making. Those two items will be found in special vaults that can only be opened by a bearer of the Mark of Making; Zorlan therefore sends his son Fletcher d'Cannith along with the party. A stray dog adopted by Spymaster Fi, Sparky, insists on following the party.

The party splits up to prepare for their mission. Quartz is quite zealous in his preparations and visits his boss, forgemaster Shaart Pizzazz, to purchase all the equipment he believes he might possibly need on this mission. Fully trusting of Pizzazz as they are both of the same faith, Quartz reveals the details of his assignment to PIzzazz, who leaves in a huff, leaving Quartz to freely equip himself with everything he can carry. Quartz leaves all the money he owns on the counter as payment.

After having said her goodbyes to her family over breakfast, Damarris visits the garrison to inform her commander Lord Anton ir'Demell of her leave of absence, but refuses to give him details of her mission, as it it between her and the Prince. Anton, already perturbed by having been ignored by Oargev for the past week, does not take this news well and leaves to investigate.

Conversely, when Nyx tells their boss Merla d'Ghallanda that they'll be leaving for a while, she doesn't seem to care in the slightest.

The party meets in Merla's tavern to plan out their mission. Quartz, insistant on spending as little time as possible in the Mournland itself, draws an itinerary that makes the party enter the Mournland as close as possible to each objective and leave as soon as they get each item. Despite some in the party wanting to investigate the causes of the Mourning further, they are eventually convinced to at least start with Quartz's plan and evaluate after completing their first objective, which they decide will be to get the power source from Eston.

As they walked on the main road to leave, the party comes across Pizzazz being manhandled by the winged warforged guarding Oargev's house, having been repeatedly refused entry. Lou went back in the house to inform the prince that Pizzazz wished to speak with him and was met with a noncommittal response and quickly dismissed. The party was confused by Sparky seemingly barking the dirt off Pizzazz's face, and started walking towards Starilaskur.

On the road, the party encounters some hobgoblin necromancers and their pack of zombies. Lou tries to negotiate passage with the necromancer leader in the Goblin language; the leader says that Lou might be allowed passage, but his companions would become "more bodies for The Shadow". The party is shocked to discover that Sparky really can cast spells, as he kills one of the hobgoblins with a lightning bolt. The party finshes off the zombies and necromancers and continues on their way.

As they set up camp for the night, Quartz sets a bear trap right next to his bedroll. After Quartz falls asleep, Sparky pulls the trap over to a dirt road in the nearby woods and goes back to sleep. A few hours later, a loud snap sound wakes most of the party up (except Quartz), and a startled boar charges the camp. The party manage to kill the beast and put the boar's body next to Quartz, who is still sleeping soundly. As he wakes up, a very confused Quartz butchers the boar and cooks up breakfast for everyone.