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39: The Dragon's Hide

🎧 Podcast Link • January 16, 2026

A Reunion Interrupted​

The session begins with the party walking down the main thoroughfare of Greyport, approaching Jasper's Bakery, Brewery, and Bakery to cash in their VIP tickets. Through the shop window, they spot a familiar face: Theirsander, the former leader of the Sisyphus Circle, wearing a baker's apron and carrying a huge bag of bread as he restocks the shop.

The reunion is short-lived. The moment Theirsander makes eye contact with Silas and Bru, the bakery explodes.

The Explosion​

The party is caught in a devastating blast that tears through the storefront:

Damage and Conditions:

  • Bru (Dex save: 9): Takes 19 bludgeoning/fire damage, knocked prone and deafened
  • Ohma (Dex save: failed): Takes 19 damage, knocked prone and deafened
  • Leliana (Dex save: 13): Takes 19 damage, knocked prone
  • Silas (Dex save: 21): Uses Evasion to take no damage

Silas immediately springs into action, using his Psychic Phone ability to communicate with his deafened companions. He races toward the explosion to find Theirsander pinned under the blown-out door, which ironically protected him from the worst of the blast.

Saving Theirsander​

Silas's Rescue Effort:

  • Spots a heavy iron pizza paddle inside the burning building (Perception: 16)
  • Dives through flames to retrieve it (Acrobatics: 23)
  • Uses it as a lever to lift the debris

Ohma arrives to help, effortlessly cradling the unconscious dwarf in one arm while simultaneously rubbing debris from his eye with the other. Leliana administers a Cure Wounds spell, jolting Theirsander back to consciousness.

Theirsander: "Silas? I thought you were dead. I thought I was dead."

Silas: "Not how I pictured our reunion going, but it's good to see you again."

Theirsander: "Jury's still out on seeing you."

The Rooftop Chase​

While stabilizing Theirsander, Bru scans the chaos with a natural 20 perception check (30 total). His deafened state ironically sharpens his vision, and he spots figures in knight's armor with dragon skull emblems moving orderly through a back alley—not fleeing in panic, but pursuing someone.

Crimson Takes Flight​

Bru sends Crimson, his mechanical cardinal familiar, to tail the suspicious figures while thinking to the party through Silas's Psychic Phone:

Bru: "I think the people that did this are heading toward the university district. I'm going to chase them."

Silas: "Hold on, Bru. We probably need to stick together. Ellith, Olivia—can you take Theirsander to the safe place while we chase the bad guys?"

Elspeth and retired detective Olivia escort Theirsander while the rest of the party gives chase. Silas uses his spider climb ability to scale a building, letting everyone out of the portable hole onto the rooftops.

Parkour Through Greyport​

The party sprints across the rooftops, pursuing the dragon-armored knights who are themselves chasing a group of Iron Claws.

Athletics/Acrobatics Checks:

  • Silas: 28 - effortlessly vaults between buildings
  • Ohma: 25 - keeps pace despite his size
  • Bru: 12 - struggles to maintain speed
  • Leliana: 12 - falls behind

Bru's perception check (Natural 1, rerolled with inspiration to 21) spots additional figures on the rooftops converging on their position—Iron Claws, bearing their distinctive gang tattoos.

Ambush Turned Tables​

Ohma hurls Bru into the air for a better vantage point. The goblin unleashes a pyrotechnics attack, catching two Iron Claws mid-jump between buildings. They crash into the structure below while their four companions turn to engage.

Iron Claw Counterattack:

  • One casts Fireball at the party (DC 15 Dex save)
  • Silas and Ohma use Evasion for no damage
  • Bru and Leliana take 9 fire damage (successful saves)

Combat on the Rooftops​

Silas's Assault:

  • Misty Steps behind the fireball caster
  • Attacks with psychic dagger (23 to hit, 6 damage)
  • The Iron Claw throws a bolo (19 to hit), but Silas uses Defensive Duelist to boost AC to 22
  • On his next turn, kills the caster with a brutal strike through the soft palate (28 damage)

Leliana's Hold Person:

  • Upcasts Hold Person to paralyze three remaining Iron Claws
  • One was mid-jump between buildings when paralyzed
  • Falls 30 feet, taking critical fall damage (doubled due to paralyzed condition)
  • The resulting thump is... final

Silas's Execution:

  • Teleports onto the shoulders of a paralyzed Iron Claw
  • Materializes his psychic dagger and drives it straight down through the target's skull
  • 63 damage (automatic critical with sneak attack)

Silas (looking at Leliana who's struggling to push her paralyzed target): "We only need one to answer questions."

Leliana's Contribution:

  • First attempt to push her paralyzed target off the roof: Athletics 3 (fails spectacularly)
  • Second attempt with a running start: Athletics 17 (success)
  • Another silent thump from below

Meeting the Order of St. George​

While Silas and Leliana dispatch the ambushers, Ohma pushes ahead, taking 10 HP damage from a rough landing but catching up to the front of the chase.

The Dragon Knights​

Ohma arrives just as three Iron Claws face off against knights in stunning white bone armor. The lead knight—a surprisingly tall dwarf—wears dragon bone wings on his greatsword scabbard and a dragon skull helmet.

Knight: "Stop in the name of the Order of St. George."

One Iron Claw lunges at him. The knight swiftly beheads him with a single stroke.

Ma's Wrestling Persona​

Ohma dons his black wrestling mask and drops into an intimidating stance.

Ohma: "Are you ready, brother?"

The remaining Iron Claws, caught between the terrifying turtle monk and the dragon-armored knights, attempt to flee. Ohma clotheslines one (Attack: 14, just beating 13 AC), while a knight archer dispatches the other with a headshot.

Commander Edgar​

The lead knight addresses Ohma:

Commander Edgar: "Thank you for your service, citizen. I'll be taking this one for questioning."

He casually one-hands the unconscious Iron Claw by the ankle and slings him over his shoulder.

Silas arrives via thrown dagger teleport, appearing dramatically in front of Edgar.

Silas: "Knights of the Order of St. George. I think we need to talk."

Commander Edgar: "This is not a good place. Would you follow me to our headquarters?"

Silas: "Is that where you took our mutual friend Theirsander?"

Commander Edgar: "I believe Theirsander to be dead in the explosion. Is he alive? Good. Then he will know to go to the headquarters. Let's go."

Leliana's Misadventure​

While the main party heads to meet the Order, Leliana has... complications.

The Rose Bush Incident​

Failed Athletics Check (7): Leliana falls off a rooftop and crashes into a rose bush in the courtyard of a busy cafe. The patrons—including someone doing their taxes, some business people, and newspaper readers—all deliberately avoid making eye contact.

Leliana: "Don't get up. Don't disturb your meal. That's fine. I'll get out. Just stay where you are."

A handsome stranger offers her a hand:

Handsome Stranger: "How did you get in this bush? Are you okay?"

Leliana: "You know when you're trying to climb off a building and there's a rose bush..."

Handsome Stranger: "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

Before Leliana can respond, a pretty young woman runs up:

Woman: "Hey, Bubby. Who is this?"

Bubby: "This is my girlfriend, Leliana."

Leliana: "Wait, did he say his girlfriend Leliana? That's my name too."

Bubby: "I always told you, babe, how beautiful your name was. I'm not surprised someone else would have it."

Leliana extracts herself from the bush, pulls a few thorns from her skin, and scurries through the cafe to catch up with her friends—bumping into a waiter on the way out for good measure.

The Dragon's Hide​

The party follows Commander Edgar through the streets of Greyport, crowds parting before the bone-armored knights. They arrive at an impossible-to-miss establishment.

A "Secret" Headquarters​

Mounted atop the inn is an entire adult dragon skeleton. A massive dragon skull hangs above the entrance. The sign reads: The Dragon's Hide.

Silas: "This isn't supposed to be a secret headquarters, is it?"

Commander Edgar: "No one comes looking for us."

Silas: "If I was looking for dudes wearing dragon wings, this is the first place I'd look."

Commander Edgar: "You think so? There's also the museum—it's got a dragon in it."

Bru: "It is not inconspicuous if that is what you're going for."

Commander Edgar: "Oh, but we don't like dragons. So they would be like, 'It's definitely not that place with the dragon.'"

Inside the Dragon's Hide​

The doors open to reveal a raucous scene—dancing, singing, and a very specific song:

"Oh, we kill dragons and we love to fight, and we drink all day and we f** all night!"*

Bru: "I don't think that's dancing."

Commander Edgar: "Ignore the banging. It's definitely dancing. We got to get out of here before they start dancing. Really."

The commander leads them behind the bar to a stairwell descending into the basement.

Commander Edgar: "It's all business down here. No f****** allowed in this place. People with real jobs."

Security Protocols​

The basement is bustling with serious-looking operatives. A man named Bucky approaches with a paddle containing glowing crystals that beeps when detecting magic.

The Magic Item Bucket​

The party must temporarily surrender their magical items for scanning:

Bru's Contribution:

  • Spends 20-30 minutes unloading enchanted items
  • Includes the portable hole, enchanted boots, amulet, and various explosive stones
  • The bucket begins to smell terrible from the accumulated "Brown" residue

Bucky: "Oh, gross. This smells terrible."

Bru: "I'll just take this bucket. I'll bring it back." drinks from it "You want some? It's better when it's warm."

Bucky: "I'm diabetic. I'm celiac. I'm lactose intolerant. I have locked jaw."

Silas: "You're moving your jaw right now. Just say you don't want the Brown."

The Dragon Orb Revelation​

As Silas prepares his backpack for scanning, he addresses Commander Edgar directly:

Silas: "One particular magic item that I think you might have a special interest in."

He opens the bag, revealing the dragon orb.

Commander Edgar's eyes go wide.

Commander Edgar: "You have the orb? Oh god. Okay. Holy s***."

Commander Tannondel​

Edgar hands off the party to Commander Tannondel, who will debrief them properly.

Commander Tannondel: "I was sent a message that you have the orb. The dwarves call it Rain Goth—the orb that holds Astro. You bringing it here is a huge boon to our efforts. I understand everything has its price, and I'm sure folks of your stature went through a lot to get this."

Silas provides a condensed version of their history:

Silas: "I'm part of—or was part of—a group of acquisition experts. We were hired to steal this from a gang of ne'er-do-wells. Turns out we were hired by Helja Utgart of the Iron Claws. She murdered all of our friends—or so we thought, until one turned up alive. We killed her, but now we're back to deal with this orb once and for all."

Commander Tannondel: "Theirsander said you were part of the Sisyphus Circle heist."

Silas: "That's us."

Reunion in the Medical Bay​

Commander Tannondel leads the party to the Order's medical bay, where Theirsander lies recovering with a cleric attending to his wounds. Elspeth and Olivia have fallen asleep in chairs beside him.

The cleric speaks quietly:

Cleric: "Everyone's doing well. They've just fallen asleep. Probably best to let them rest for now."

Silas: "I always thought detective work was really hard, but we've found everything we were looking for on our first try."

Bru: "Olivia makes this look a lot harder than it actually is."

Silas: "I think we're officially the greatest detectives in this party. Olivia, don't say anything if you agree."

She remains asleep.

Silas: "She agrees."

Dragon-Themed Accommodations​

The session concludes with the party being shown to clean, private rooms in the basement—far from the "dancing" upstairs. The rooms continue the Order's commitment to their theme:

  • Dragon bone bedposts
  • Dragon rib-shaped candelabras
  • Dragon egg mugs
  • Baby dragon skull cups
  • Guest toothbrushes carved from dragon bone

Ohma finds his room equipped with a giant heat lamp.

Key Information Learned​

The Order of St. George:

  • A dragon-hunting order operating openly in Greyport
  • Led by commanders including Edgar and Tannondel
  • Headquarters in the Dragon's Hide tavern/inn
  • In open conflict with the Iron Claws
  • Extremely interested in the dragon orb (Rain Goth)

Theirsander:

  • Alive and working at Jasper's bakery
  • Connected to the Order of St. George
  • Survived the Sisyphus Circle massacre
  • Seriously injured but stabilized

The Iron Claws:

  • Active in Greyport
  • Responsible for the bakery explosion
  • Being hunted by the Order of St. George
  • Connection to Helja's mother remains unclear

Character Moments​

Silas: Demonstrates his evolution from pure self-interest to genuine leadership, coordinating the rescue of Theirsander and establishing contact with potential allies. His 63-damage psychic execution showcases his deadly capabilities.

Ohma: The wrestling persona returns as he dons his black mask and intimidates enemies with his "Are you ready, brother?" catchphrase. His willingness to push himself (taking damage for speed) shows his commitment to the team.

Bru: Uses Crimson effectively for reconnaissance and continues his dedication to the Brown despite everyone's disgust. His deafened state ironically provides the crucial perception check that identifies the attackers.

Leliana: Her first combat contributions include a devastating Hold Person spell, though her physical capabilities remain... limited. The rose bush incident and meeting her namesake provide comic relief.

Unresolved Threads​

  • What caused the bakery explosion and who specifically ordered it?
  • What ritual must be performed on the dragon orb and can the Order complete it?
  • What is the Order of St. George's full agenda regarding the orb?
  • Will Theirsander have answers about what happened to the Sisyphus Circle?
  • Where is Helja's mother and what is her connection to the Iron Claws in Greyport?
  • What reward will the Order offer for bringing them the dragon orb?
  • Is Jasper okay? His family's bakery was just destroyed.

Notable Quotes​

Silas: "So are we." (in response to being warned the dragon knights are dangerous people)

Commander Edgar: "It keeps our cover. No one will know our headquarters is down here." (about the f***** tavern above their secret basement)*

Bru: "You just have to look at things with your eyeballs and then figure it out." (on detective work)

Silas: "Iron Claws die on sight." (establishing his position on the gang conflict)

The session ends with the party settled in their dragon-themed accommodations, ready to debrief with the Order of St. George and finally learn what must be done to deal with the dragon orb—and perhaps discover more about what happened to their old crew members all those years ago.