MOONLOVE, FREE
A gathering place and trade center, mainly populated by tribal Firbolgs and their trading partners during gatherings only. Located in N. Ronia near the previous site of a blue dragon surface slavelord's ruined ziggarut. While technically not a city in the traditional sense, this place is marked on many maps as though it were. Their total population is estimated to be 1,500 to 4,000 but no outsider has ever performed a census and much of the Firbolg population lives in the outlying areas. Among the purposes of Free Moonlove are education, trade, common law, and social gatherings. Lead by the tribal chieftain, Garar Obish and his council, the Firbolgs are respected hunters known also for their great bonfire celebrations and traditional songs celebrating the Moon.
Among their celebrations are a bonfire at each full moon, honoring tribal leaders and remembering battles and events both recent and from long ago. Recently, Free Moonlove added Uprisers Day in celebration of their return to freedom as a society in the form of affiliated tribes. Incorporated into ancient freedom songs is the tale of how a dracolich slew the blue dragon, just prior to the arrival of a band of heroes, the Uprisers. For three days the dracolich and the Uprisers held (barely) civil discourse, allowing for the Firbolgs to participate (see previous entry for Day 1). The Eladrin Queen spoke, but though she spoke well for the dracolich her arguements were largely self-serving and self-defeating. Jones, Shamash and Aurora debated her points regarding the hipocracy of the party by pointing out that she brought ruin on her people largely on her own because of her love of slavery. After her speech she was shot by an arrow which the dracolich said was fired by Hadji, but Jones convinced the crowd the dracolich was responsible perhaps by using Rholain as his agent in order to win over the Firbolgs. Aurora healed the Eladrin Queen and the matter was largely forgotten. By the end of Day 2, the common folk were leaning toward choosing the Uprisers and freedom but the dracolich continued to present strong arguments, including his (her) stronger ability to provide protection - including from herself. Why the "her?" A doppleganger was captured in the night, after organizing a jailbreak of the worst Firbolg prisoners. Interrogation revealed her employer was none other than one of the five heads of Tiamat! Also during the night the son of the blue dragon quietly gave the party a sack of radiant weapons, a gift from his other dragon friends who wanted no part of the conflict for themselves. On Day 3, when Jones forcefully revealed the point that the dracolich was one of the five heads of Tiamat, it provoked (her) uncontrolled rage and a battle ensued. Tiamat produced a psychic wave that knocked the Firbolgs unconscious while (she) and (her) swordwraiths fought the party. Now a powerful, hard-hitting band of heroes-- newly armed with radiant weapons--the Uprisers fought the black head of Tiamat to the point of retreat, but her minions the swordwraiths proved opportunistic against the weakened party. At the end of the battle, Shamash and Hadji had each been slain by swordwraiths, the misty incarnation of the dracolich had been defeated along with most of the swordwraiths, and Xhamash, the evil swordwraith version of Shamash, had flown away. The dracolich doubled back to finish the party off but its physical form was destroyed by the remaining members of the party, and Jones grabbed the Amulet of the Cup from her neck. The cup works again, able to cure zombie rot. The last words of the dracolich, Tiamat's black head were in effect that next time there will be no games.
It was a victory, though a narrow one. The Firbolgs will no longer just be a dragon's ziggarut of slaves called "Firbolg City." Henceforth, they prefer to be known as Moonlove or Free Moonlove. As history is written by the victors, the first paragraph of this blog entry was written -- though some of it might be wishful thinking.
Aurora was able to raise Hadji and Shamash, though it cost each of them 5,000 GP for the ritual. A speed bump, now that the party is 17th level.
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