You meet in an inn...

Present:
  Alma (Jane)
  Crinsea (Hannah)
  Euwin (Paul)
  Flux-Hand (Liam)
  Laeknir (Mr. Rheam)
  Ponty (Garrett)

The party arrives at the River Snake Tavern on a rainy night in late summer.  They have come in the entourages of some of the Overlord's most powerful subjects, summoned to a secret meeting in a ruined city that is being reclaimed by the swamp.  Mr. Druin, the halfling bartender, is gruff and Etta, his sole employee, acts as if it is a great bother to do her job. Only two other patrons, servants of one of the City-state's two archmages, are in the inn.  The River Snake is a dive in a piss-pot of a town, but at least it is warm and relatively dry. For servants, squires, clerks, and valets, that is some comfort as their masters and mistresses must suffer at their secret council out in the rain.

The calm is disrupted when a horde of reptilian humanoids attack. At least a dozen small lizard-dogs known as kobolds swarm into the inn, led by two imposing lizard-men.  They seem intent on slaying all within, and their first savage attacks nearly bring them to their goal. The heroes rally, though, and slamming the door on the kobolds who sought to come in through the back door, they are able to wear down their attackers.  Before the flight can progress too far, however, a great shadow darkens the front of the inn. A great black dragon, as big as a house, flies low over the town, bearing east to where the secret meeting is being held.

At last the party secures the inn. They bar the doors and patch their wounds.  Fifteen minutes later, the sole survivor of the council meeting begs to be let in. It is Paramswarm, one of the Overlord's archmages, and he is in terrible shape.  He describes how the dragon tore through the council members, spewing acid onto anyone that dared to move.  Then, he solemnly turns to the party and delivers the following monologue:

“You have saved many lives here today, and for that you should be proud. But the realm has suffered a grievous loss.  Your liege lords and the wizard Llewellyn have all been slain by that accursed dragon. He knew what they were planning, and he knew that if he foiled the Overlord’s plans, there would be no power on earth that could stop him and his fellow Dragon Lords from bringing a reign of misery onto the world.”

Paramswarm

                “For Llewellyn thought to bless your liege lords with the power of the Soul Crystals, the very magicks that created the Dragon Lords in the first place. You see, Siddig the Black was once a human like me, but she discovered an ancient artifact that transformed her into a semi-divine being.  She did not just become a black dragon. She became THE Black Dragon, capable of creating others like herself and bending the land itself to her will.”

                “But the five crystals which created the Dragon Lords were not the only ones in existence. There were others, keyed to other monstrous paragons.  The Invincible Overlord has been able to locate many of them. It was these crystals that he sought to embed in your patrons.  They would arise as paragon heroes, infused with the blood of monsters, able to fight and defeat the Dragon Lords.”

                “Alas, our main hope perished with them. Only powerful heroes could channel the magic of the Soul Crystals to become fully formed monstrous paragons.  But not all hope is lost. The crystals are still nearby. Another band of kobolds has taken them from the field and is holding them in their lair until Siddig can send her agents to reclaim them.  We must snatch them back before it is too late.  Then, I must ask a great sacrifice of you. I need new hosts for the crystals.  You must become the monstrous heroes that we need to save the realm. True, you would not emerge at the height of your powers, but as you grew and learned, your powers would become mightier. If you could survive, you could overthrow the Dragon Lords.  I can promise you immense wealth, fame, and glory if you embrace this opportunity. The Overlord himself will be in your debt.”