It's the winter of 12c, 1266. 5 years ago the Wolves were formed. 5 weeks ago, they were dispatched to locate Krothmire. Krothmire is a secret Frigoshian prison camp hidden deep in the eastern Howling Front, the unmoving line of combat between Frigoshia and the Republic. The war prisoners there are forced to work in forges, and kept barely alive. The cover of night coupled with a powerful snowstorm has given them an opportunity to approach the prison undetected.
Aeroneiros sneaks through back of the camp and discovers 3 crates of black fuel. Doornail, following close behind, quickly summons a flying steed to take them and the fuel above the camp. Malgruff spots a guard above a watchtower and uses his rope to ascend the tower and quietly dispatches him. While this is happening, Rorik and Brogus enter the front door of the prison, much to the guard's surprise. Rorik blasts him with a barrage of missiles, allowing Brogus the opportunity to grapple and pin the guard. The guard speaks an old Frigoshian a dialect unknown to them, making interrogation pointless. They show no fear at all.
Then, BOOM! Doornail, sitting atop his flying steed (that happens to look like Falkor from the Never Ending Story), hurls the crates of black fuel onto the roof of the forges, and onto the north tower. Then, with a bolt of fire from Aeroneiros, the entire complex is rocked by a devastating explosion! The forges, the north tower, and half of the prisoner's quarters cave in. The final of which, was not intentional. In the chaos, Brogus is ambushed by a guard, which stabs him in the back, freeing the guard he had pinned. The guard got to his feet, spin, and slashed him across the stomach. Seeing this unfold, Malgruff silently eliminates the ambusher, and Rorik finishes off the once-pinned guard.
Entering into the prison, Aeroneiros and Doornail find half of the prisoners dead from either the explosion, or frostbite. They cannot tell the difference, and they don't want to check out of fear of guilt. Doornail blocks the two remaining guards from entering the quarters while Aeroneiros puts out the raging flames. The guard's lack of fear is their undoing, as they're quickly overwhelmed by Brogus, Malgruff, and Rorik. The prisoners are freed, and they have mixed feelings on the Wolves due to their potential hand in causing the explosion.
Suddenly, Doornail hears a loud beeping sound coming from his pocket. It's a small marble triangular beacon no larger than the palm of his hand. A small blue sphere in the center is beeping, transmitting an encoded message from Commander Kragknull. Aeroneiros translates the Morse code and to their shock, their ongoing mission of 5 weeks has been prematurely cancelled. The message reads,
"EMERGENCY. BY ORDER OF THE CHANCELLOR, RETURN TO THE CAPITAL IMMEDIATELY. THIS IS A MATTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY. ONGOING MISSION NULLIFIED. - COMMANDER KRAGKNULL."
Before leaving, Malgruff searches the guards, discovering:
1 week later, the Wolves return. Hephaestus looms ahead, rising from the snow like a colossus of stone and iron. Large, bulky machines refine Eathyst in the distance, emitting a plume of black and purple smoke from the nearby mountain. The streets are wide, covered in snow, and dotted with civilians bundled in thick fur coats. Large posters line the frosted stone walls, their bright colors catching their eyes. Thousands of soldiers accompanied by large steel machines parade through the streets, giving them a sense of familiarity, and peace. Through the city streets, bronze statues of heroes past watch silently from their opulent marble pedestals. The Senate building, a gargantuan amalgam of geometric stone shapes and pillars, dominates the skyline in front of you. It's strange, but it's home.
The Wolves waste no time splitting up. Brogus and Rorik head to the library near the senate building. Brogus studies non-lethal subduction techniques by reading "Wrestling 101" while Rorik studies Ethology to replace his spins. Aeroneiros books it to an E-Tech workshop to construct a fire grenade, purchase 3 100gp gems, and use one of them to construct a snake homunculus named Homie. Doornail visits his favorite blacksmith Vostag, and they give each other friendly punches. After some haggling, Vostag makes a deal to construct new, E-Tech infused shields by making a deal with the local E-Tech shop owner Coren. Everyone then heads to the E-Tech shop. Doornail purchases a Brooch of Shielding, Malgruff purchases a Stone of Good Luck, a Frost Brand Rapier, Boots of Speed, and Glamoured Studded Leather Armor, Rorik purchased a Wand of Fireballs, and Brogus purchased a Cloak of the Elvenkind.
While exploring the town, they spot several details in the background. There are comic books made about them; they're extremely exaggerated. A kid named Kuldrek Kershaw tells Doornail that he's also from Hak'Thor and that he's his favorite. He gives him bad drawings and medals, and then the kids have to go. There are also comics about the other major heroes of Arcohaem, like the reliable and classic Karlstad Crusaders.
There are also propaganda posters throughout town.
Arriving at the hulking Senate building, they enter to receive their mission. They enter Commander Kragknull's office, which features 3 large windows overlooking the city, and twin statues of Chancellor Kaul. Kragknull has been waiting for them. He's a stoic man that's quite close to them. He welcomes them in, and after exchanging hellos, sits them down and lays out the situation.
"I've been a commander since the beginning of this war. Over that time, I've seen the Frigoshians sink to lows even I didn't think they'd cross. They fight and kill without mercy, or identity, or voice, all so that they can enforce their primitive lifestyle onto us. It confounds me why some of our own citizens go out of their way to protest this conflict like we're somehow at fault here. With all of that said, I didn't think anything they could do could surprise me... but this most recent development is so terrible that I've been sick with dread for the past week. Two weeks ago, 5 of our soldiers were separated in the heat of battle and got lost wandering the eastern Howling Front. While wandering, they discovered a Frigoshian transport carrying incubation equipment, and the first dragon egg we've seen in centuries. This has led the Senate to believe that the Frigoshians are running a covert dragon incubation program, likely for military use. A single adult dragon could decimate Hephaestus before we even got a chance to respond. We don't know how many they have, and our armies aren't getting close enough to the capital to stop them. So the Senate approved a secret mission to infiltrate Frigoshia, locate the program, and shut it down. To the senate's surprise, Chancellor Kaul personally selected you 5 for this mission. I don't think I have to explain why that wasn't a popular decision. I believe you're more than capable for this mission, but your track record is inconsistent, so you'll need to step up to prove yourselves to the Senate. Like I said, your mission has three parts:
To support their mission, they were given 3000gp, a communicator (+2 to initiative rolls when within 100ft of an ally + instant long distance communication each other and Kragknull), and a few E-Tech items to distribute amongst themselves. Doornail received the immovable rod, and Malgruff the Gloves of Silence (+5 sleight of hand). They haven't figured out who gets the Bracer of Thoth (DC10 Arcana once per long rest to use unknown Scholar spin), the Ring of [[Hephaestus]] (+1 to AC and Saves), and the Dagger of Ammalor (+3 and it warps back to the hand of its attuned user as a bonus action).
Finally the Wolves planned their mission. They're going to travel to Ammalor and charter a ship, before sailing around the Howling Front, and entering Frigoshia from the North (The Wastes Pale). They'll push through the wastes, before sneaking into the capital Torhild to search for and eliminate the dragon program.