Deep within the kobold caves at Crimson Peak, we found it: a massive ruby, the size of a human heart, resting on an ancient stone pedestal. It glows with an inner fire.
That's when everything changed. The moment we touched the Crimson Heart, a voice spoke— ancient, terrible, powerful. The voice of something that has been asleep for a very long time.
"Ah... the seals weaken. After all these years, I can finally feel the surface world again. Tell me, little thieves, do you understand what you've taken?"
The mountain shook. Something broke. And we knew—we had awakened something that should have stayed asleep.
The voice from the ruby called itself Infernadax. An ancient being—we're almost certain it's a dragon—sealed beneath Crimson Peak. And we just woke it up.
"Do you know what sleeps beneath your feet? I am Infernadax, and you have taken my Heart. How amusing. How... unexpected."
Some of us heard more than others. The dragon spoke differently to each of us, like it knew things about us we don't even know ourselves.
After we escaped Crimson Peak, something began stalking us. Clicking sounds in the night. A presence watching from the shadows. And then he revealed himself.
We woke one morning to find a kobold skull on a stake at the edge of camp. Fresh. Flesh stripped clean. Carved into the forehead in Draconic: "WORTHY"
Whatever was hunting us had been watching all night. Close enough to leave that message. Close enough to kill us. But it didn't.
Hours later on the road to Phandalin, he attacked. A dragonborn assassin unlike any we'd seen: red and bronze scales, strange armor with glowing orange lines, weapons that shouldn't exist.
"The Great One wants his Heart returned. Prove you are worthy to keep it."
He could turn invisible. His crossbow bolts tracked us like living things. His blood glowed orange-gold when we wounded him. And when we fought back hard enough, he fled—but not before delivering his final message.
"Impressive. You ARE worthy. We will meet again. The Great One has plans for you."
⚠️ The hunter will be back. He said so. ⚠️
The kobolds weren't just random raiders. They were organized. Purposeful. They were guarding something—the ruby. And serving someone.
The kobold chieftain wore a bronze medallion with three claw marks forming a triangle. When he died, the mountain shook—and that's when Infernadax first spoke to us.
Aldric Fenwick - A merchant we saved from the kobold attack
Elena Fenwick - His wife
Marcus Fenwick - Their young son
They brought us safely to Phandalin. Aldric mentioned someone in town who might be able to help us understand what we've found—a cleric at the Shrine of Luck who studies ancient histories.
We haven't met this person yet. But we're hoping they have answers.
We're in Phandalin now, looking for answers. Here's what we desperately need to understand:
Tomorrow, we seek answers. Tonight, we rest behind Phandalin's walls.