Chapter 4: On the Road - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Chapter 4: On the Road. The treasure looted from the Greenfields is headed north on the Trade Way, hidden in unmarked freight wagons that are part of the regular merchant traffic of that well-traveled road. The heroes must find out where all that loot is going, which means taking a long, danger-filled trip northward. The characters should travel from the abandoned cult camp southeast of Greenest to the city of Elturel on the River Chionthar. Their route takes them back through Greenest, where they can return any stolen goods that they recovered from the cult and recuperate from their wounds. Nighthill greets the characters with delight and respect. He tells them that before Leosin Erlanthar left town, he bought horses and riding gear for the characters to speed their journey to Elturel. The horses are being kept at the dealer's stables until the characters are ready to leave for Elturel; all their costs are paid for. On horseback, characters can travel the 200 miles from Greenest to Elturel in about six days. They make the journey without incident, unless you throw an encounter or two at them to spice up the trip or to increase their XP totals. Encounters with bandits, humanoid clans, and roving monsters are appropriate in the untamed expanses of the Greenfields. Elturel Elturel, a large, orderly city overlooking the River Chionthar, is filled with merchants, river traders, and farmers' markets. Its most distinguishing feature is a brilliant magical light that hovers above it, illuminating it day and night. This light is painful to undead and is visible from almost every corner of Elturgard (of which Elturel is the capital), appearing from afar as a star or distant sun. When the characters meet Ontharr Frume, they find him to be a good-natured paladin of Torm, the god of heroics and bravery. He is a man of action who loves jokes and pranks, a stiff drink, and a friendly scuffle. If characters ask for Leosin Erlanthar when they arrive in Elturel, none of the local...