Test of Mettle

Test of Mettle was the seventh adventure released for the Blackwheel Company Faction Adventure to be run as part of the Xen'drik Expeditions campaign.

Synopsis

While enjoying a game of three-dragon ante , the PCs are interrupted by a familiar face, Sergeant Skyne Tragar . The sergeant tells the PCs about the secret dragonshard outpost of Annex under attack by Cabal forces. Their mission is to hold the outpost until reinforcements arrive.

Before they leave, the PCs are sent to the Arclight division to receive special items to help them accomplish their mission.

Due to the loss of two airships , the Company is forced to charter a merchant vessel, the Ka-Ching to transport the PCs to the combat zone around Annex. General Ogdin orders the PCs to destroy the merchant vessel after the drop to preserve the secret location of Annex. The PCs face a moral dilemma in following this order to take innocent lives.

The PCs drop into the battle at the pivotal moment when the Cabal battering-ram unit smashes into the outpost's main gate under cover of demonic artillery. The defenders are pinned down and unable to defend against the battering ram brigade unless the PCs can take out Captain Kazoo and his crack Cabal artillery unit.

Once the PCs defeat Captain Kazoo, they are welcomed into the outpost for a well-deserved rest. Unfortunately, the Cabal sends their tactical strike force against the PCs while they sleep to strike at the heart of the outpost's best forces. The PCs are abducted by the bar'glura and taken to the prisoner area of the Cabal encampment. While here, the PCs learn of the secret of the Cabal siege force—a man-sized Khyber dragonshard has risen from the depths of Xen'drik . These dragonshards are the focus of the summoning.

Armed with this new information and after completing their rest to regain their spells, the PCs assault the secret Cabal summoning chambers.

After they deal with the caves' guardians and disrupt one of the summoning rituals, it looks like it will be the PCs last stand just outside Annex. But help suddenly arrives.

If the PCs did not destroy the Ka-Ching, Captain Loo and his crew rescue the PCs. Otherwise, Sergeant Kren lazes a path back to the outpost for the PCs to retreat. Sergeant Kren falls covering the PCs retreat.

Though the PCs are back inside the outpost, the relentless Cabal forces continue to hammer away at the gates and walls. The gate collapses and the stream of Cabal forces pour into the outpost. Just when all seems lost, Lt. General Pilgrim and his forces arrive to beat back the Cabal forces and Annex is saved thanks largely to the efforts of the PCs holding the line until help arrives.

Appendix

Connections

Eberron Adventures
3 rd edition The Forgotten Forge Shadows of the Last War Whispers of the Vampire's Blade Grasp of the Emerald Claw Voyage of the Golden Dragon Jungle Secrets Queen with Burning Eyes Steel Shadows Fallen Angel Crypt of Crimson Stars Temple of the Scorpion God Pit of the Fire Lord Murder in Oakbridge Chimes at Midnight Tensions Rising Riding the Rail The Aundairian Job Quoth the Raven Hell's Heart City of Blood
Adapted Adventures : Red Hand of Doom Expedition to Castle Ravenloft Expedition to the Demonweb Pits‎ The Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde The Kopru Ruins‎ Legend of the Silver Skeleton‎ The Whispering Cairn The Three Faces of Evil Encounter at Blackwall Keep The Hall of Harsh Reflections The Champion's Belt A Gathering of Winds The Spire of Long Shadows The Prince of Redhand The Library of Last Resort Kings of the Rift Into the Wormcrawl Fissure Dawn of a New Age There is No Honor The Bullywug Gambit The Sea Wyvern's Wake Here There Be Monsters
Mark of Heroes Reflections of the Multiverse Pirate's Bounty and the Isle of Fire No Ticket Finding the Way Gambit at Dreadhold Blind Man's Hunt The Delirium Stone Freely Given Mote in the Eye of Chaos Desolate Endeavor The Graywall Incident Escape from Grea Tower Deep Woods, Dark Heart House of Madness Price of Protection Death in Darguun Fallen of Sharn The Unexpected Gate To Spurn the Churning Discord
Xen'drik Expeditions The Journey Begins: Well of Woe Breaching Thelanis Wall: Well of Woe The Flame Beneath the Well: Well of Woe Mere of Shattered Souls Cairn of Stone Hearts Sands of Fate and Fortune Shargon's Rage Taming the Hydra Nightfall on Sorrowdusk The Dead of Night Endgame
Blackwheel Company Faction Adventure Principal of the Matter Price of Progress Marked Man The Trouble with Pirates Tarnished Reputation None Left Behind Test of Mettle A Few Good Gnolls A Plague Upon Your Houses Pariah When in Doubt, Charge The Twentieth Lash
Cabal of Shadows Faction Adventure The Sahuagin Stone Shadows Over Stormreach Khyber's Children Fire in the Heart of Madness Night of Shadows What Rough Beast Whispers Behind the Door Racing Midnight The Darkest Heart Thirst For Blood and Stone With His Dying Breath Dark Portents
Covenant of Light Faction Adventure Divine Inspiration Crisis of Faith The Good Die Young Brave Soldiers Things Fall Apart Price of Virtue Dark Fugitive Noble Savages Choir of Angels Fate, Interrupted Greater the Fall To Live Among You
Crimson Codex Faction Adventure Prophecy's Unwitting Servant Forbidden Knowledge Native Intelligence Tomb of Tomes The Korranberg Affair Turn of the Page A Costly Truth If At First Stormrider Slept Here Chamber Made A Shattered Mind's Maze The End of the Viper's Tail
D&D Open Championship Shards of Eberron Crown of Winter Flame Tomb of Eternity
4 th edition The Mark of Prophecy Khyber's Harvest Seekers of the Ashen Crown Keep on the Shadowfell Heart of the Forbidden Forge Haruuc's Tomb: A Novel Adventure The Maze of Shattered Souls Dead for a Spell Dark Lantern
5 th edition Around Khorvaire in Fifty Days Forgotten Relics Fallen Colossus Murder on the Halcyon Race Through Q'barra Skybridge Skirmish Vecna: Eve of Ruin
Adapted Adventures : Against the Giants Between Tangled Roots‎ Danger at Dunwater‎ Dead in Thay Gold for Fools and Princes‎ In the Mists of Manivarsha Isle of the Abbey‎‎ Princes of the Apocalypse Salted Legacy Tammeraut's Fate The Fiend of Hollow Mine‎‎ The Forge of Fury‎ The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan‎ The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh‎‎ The Styes The Sunless Citadel‎ Tomb of Annihilation Tomb of Horrors White Plume Mountain
Embers of the Last War What's Past is Prologue Murder in Skyway Boromar Ball The Cannith Code Jack of Daggers Against the Lightning A Holy Visit Blades of Terror The Kundarak Job Searching for Secrets The Killing Blade Secrets Below
Oracle of War The Night Land Voice in the Machine Where the Dead Wait The Third Protocol A Century of Ashes The Last Word Song of the Sky Parliament of Gears Lord Bucket Judgment of Iron My Undying Heart The Waiting Game Stonefire From Dust Dream Eater The Dragon Below The Final Tribute Scales of War Back to the Mud Old Scores The Iron Titan Rolling Thunder The Rising City The Last War Hundred-Shard Stash Off the Rails Spirit Train Servants of the Past Cold Spell in the Frostfell Journey to Salvation
Keith Baker Adventures Curtain Call: A Sharn Adventure Trust No One Magic Sword: An Eberron Story Seed