Having returned with the Black Tablet to Dalton's Camp and managed to avoid its capture by goblins, kobolds and a white dragon, the heroes set out for Berador. They intend to speak there to Vardigas Asmos and determine next steps.
The intial trek back to Berador is mostly uneventful. They stay off the road and slip through the Greywood. An overnight encounter with some ettercaps and spiders is mostly uneventful and followed by a conversation with a patrol of elves from Greywatch Hold.
On the third day out from Dalton's Camp the white dragon, Jadonkos, tracks the heroes down in the woods. He lands some distance away and offers to parley. The dragon demands the Black Tablet from them in exchange for sparing their lives. He wants it to protect his kobold minions from the hobgoblin raiders of the Bloodreaver clan. The heroes refuse to give up the tablet, and in their discussions manage to convince Jadonkos that the Black Tablet will not protect his people as he believes.
More conversation leads to the revelation that the dragon sincerely cares for his people and he offers to pay the heroes to rid him of the hobgoblin menace. They manage to convince him to make partial payment in advance and he hands over a Holy Symbol of Life +1 in the image of the dragon god Bahamut.
The heroes accept the quest and the payment and set out to Berador with promises to seek the dragon in his lair within ten days.
In Berador they reveal the Black Tablet to Vardigas and explain that it cannot be used of the desired protective ritual. Vardigas endeavors to investigate the tablet and then help the heroes decide what to do.
In the meantime the dwarf warrior, Bracken, has become rather attached to the Black Tablet. He gains power from its presence, including the ability to speak Abyssal and other skills have increased. He is reluctant to give up the tablet. The other heroes manage to convince him to allow Vardigas to study it, but Bracken refuses to leave while the studies go on.
Vardigas reveals that the heroes are correct; the Black Tablet will not provide any protection to the village. It will reveal the location to one of the five shards of the key called Imkinrisraka which opens the so-called prison of Ashembelaldu. The information the heroes have is that the demon called Certiakinryn is imprisoned there. Vardigas says no such demon exists, but that Ashembelaldu actually guards a treasure of some sort. He cannot identify the treasure.
The heroes resolve to leave the Black Tablet with the eladrin elder, Chadadarya Lidastar in the Greywood. They convince Bracken to leave it behind and he can "get it back later" when they return.
They head out for the Jadonkos's lair north of Dalton's Camp. In Dalton's Camp they speak to Kharas Fireaxe. On hearing of their plans he asks them to take a cask for him to a contact of his in the Seven Pillared Hall in Thunderspire Labyrinth. In exchange he will pay them 500 gold when they return with a set of drow fortune stones.
They make an uneventful journey to Jadonkos's lair. While their they learn that the hogoblins have again attacked the kobolds and this time they have taken many of them prisoner. Jadonkos offers to increase the reward to the heroes if they will also rescue his people. He offers 500 gold for the head of the hobgoblin leader and another 500 gold for the return of his people.
The heroes make their way to the hobgoblin lair over a period of about a week. They encounter no trouble until they near the hobgolin lair. They find their several outbuildings near a cave. Now they must find a way in and rescue the kobold prisoners.
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