Campaign summary of Clockwork Dawn, set in the World of Kiynan (5E compatible, based on Wizard of the Coast’s SRD 5.2.1).

The battle for Whisperwind Canyon was won, but the party’s work was far from over. With Aldred of Spire unconscious and his remaining minions captured, the heroes began to piece together the full extent of the disgraced inventor’s operation. While looting the workshop, they turned their attention to the mysterious, steaming cauldron. After fishing out the boiled remains of a Serpent’s Head goon, Ethane carefully used a pair of tongs to retrieve a massive, glowing ruby from the bottom. The stone, dubbed the Emberheart, radiated immense heat and was clearly the secret, magical power source for the Zephyr’s engine—the very secret President Bellwether had been so desperate to hide.

Knowing they were not alone in the canyon, the party decided to take a short rest within the relative safety of the workshop’s tent. Their rest had barely begun when Shep, standing watch, detected the faint sounds of approaching footsteps and quickly alerted the others. Thinking fast, Ethane magically altered his appearance to assume the form of Aldred and confidently stepped out to confront the four approaching minions. In a masterful display of deception, he berated them for questioning his “experiments” and sent them scurrying back to their posts, securing the party the time they needed to recover.

With a plan in place, the group made their way to the final, large alcove of the canyon where the Zephyr was hidden. Their ruse continued, with Ethane playing the part of Aldred, Bitoh and Shep as his loyal guards, and Oren disguised as a captured Valkan prisoner. There, they came face-to-face with the leader of the Serpent’s Head, a man named Jaq, who was encased in a hulking, steam-powered exoskeleton. Another tense negotiation followed, with Ethane’s convincing performance and quick thinking barely keeping their cover intact. He successfully bluffed his way past the suspicious Jaq, claiming he needed to take the airship up to conduct vital experiments with the Emberheart.

Once aboard and ascending into the sky, the party put their plan to eliminate the remaining criminals into motion. Shep, in a moment of inspired absurdity, magically grew a palm tree on the deck, tying it down to create a makeshift catapult. He then lured Jaq into the perfect position with a fabricated story about strange initials carved into the wood. Shep released the tree, and the shocked gang leader was unceremoniously flung from the airship into the desert below. With Jaq gone, Bitoh seized the moment. In a brutal display of strength, he brought his warhammer down on the two remaining minions in quick succession, bashing both of them over the side to their doom.

The eight-hour flight back to Spire was an ordeal in itself, a skill challenge that tested the limits of the entire party. Bitoh, as the pilot, heroically wrestled with the controls, his muscles straining as he fought through cold fronts and violent storms that left him physically exhausted. Shep embraced his role as navigator, channeling his inner sea captain during a fierce storm by shouting directions from the windswept deck to guide them through the safest passage. Down below, Oren kept the engine running, though the violent turbulence left him miserably airsick and puking over the delicate machinery. Ethane, as the balloon master, expertly managed their altitude and, at one point, unleashed a jet of flame to scare away a massive flock of birds that threatened the airship’s balloons.

Their teamwork culminated in a near-flawless docking procedure back at Spire. Upon landing, they were immediately met by city guards who escorted them to the Inventor’s Guild headquarters, where an eager President Bellwether awaited them. Sticking to their story, they delivered Aldred and recounted their victory, carefully omitting any mention of the Emberheart or their foray into the forbidden engine room. Bellwether, overjoyed at the return of her “precious Zephyr” in near-mint condition, paid them a handsome reward and declared their business concluded.

The great airship heist was over, and the heroes, now wealthy and with their reputations secured, were free to once again go their separate ways.