C7: Captain's Log: Alliances
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
by Jeffrey Alan Rothermel
February 22, 2026
The Captain's Log
The Alliance Storyline
(Part Seven of the Dungeon Cooking Chronicles)
Friends gather around a table to socialize and break bread. The game of Dungeons and Dragons is a fictional scenario or said another way: a type of puzzle to solve. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that some Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition (5e) books have a storyline. You can play a campaign for years; in this case we have been gathering on a Saturday night- about once every few months for over two years. We were about to re-solidify an allegiance with a village of warriors that supports our cause. All I had to do, was roll the dice. If the number was good, the plan succeeded. I rolled the twenty-sided die.
A natural one.
[One is bad (the worst). Twenty is best.]
If you want to know more... read on.
Authors note: This is a somewhat fictionalized account of a real Dungeons and Dragons Campaign. Few of the players back in 2024 knew one another prior to going to Captain's Book Shoppe LLC. The strangers expressed an interest in Dungeons and Dragons. They were recruited by Centauri-the-bookdealer whom is known to frequent Captain's Book Shoppe. If you are interested in joining, just ask to see Centauri the next time you are in the shop. The campaign events are basically real, but certain aspects have been fictionalized to sell books. [Rolling a natural one, was very real.] The campaign started with a book... Today we discuss the 2014 book The Horde of the Dragon.
Since our last update, the group of adventurers met on Saturday January 24 and February 21, 2026.
Dungeon Cooking
Chronicle Number: Seven Prelude
Brocc the gnome was known for his finicky taste in food. It wasn't that long ago that a giant frog had swallowed him while on our journey through a swamp. Red Beard the dwarf rescued the gnome by gutting the swamp predator... The dwarf presented a dozen pair of giant frog legs to the local village as tribute to re-solidify an alliance with the village people. The gnome was not excited about participating in the feast of frog. Rolan the high elf explained a great recipe he found in a book for preparing frog legs. Soaking frog legs in salt water for twenty-four hours "will make most of the black veins turn translucent and thus more palatable for those who do not eat frog."[1] You can find more great recipes in Captain's Book Shoppe cookbook section of the store.
The Book Shop Gang developed by the Artist Co Pilot on February 24-25, 2026.
Pictured:
Top Left to right: Bill Redbeard the mighty dwarf (holding battle ax).
Top Center: Roland the high elf fighter. (Known to chastise cowards.)
Top Right: Eye the blue dragonborn sorcerer [also known as Leco the Trader when in disguise.]
Bottom Left: Jamna Gleamsilver a gnome lady known for her scruples.
Bottom Center: Milo the frog now deceased.
Gnome inside Frog: Brocc the rogue (known to hide in shadows and inside of frogs).
Fenric the holy healer (Life domain cleric, disciple of Helm) in white.
Bottom right: Arvid the Dwarf.
SPOILER ALERT. This essay discusses a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) module in the fictional book Hoard of the Dragon Queen written by Wolfgang Bauer and Steve Winter. It was originally published in the year 2014 by Wizards of the Coast (Kobold Press). Read no further if you intend to play this module and have not yet done so.
STOP
Spoiler Alert
Module (Episode) 6:
Castle Naerytar
D&D Book: Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Secrets Revealed Below
Castle Naerytar. Top center of the castle, you will see an observatory-like structure. Additionally, you will see the grey outline of a gargoyle. Gozer becomes very unwelcoming- beware.
The left tower is where Arvid the Dwarf Barbarian earned a few nick names, one of which is now Leroy Jenkins. Just like Tolkien's book Fellowship of the Ring where Pippin threw a stone into a deep well alerting the enemies of the deep... Arvid did one better and tied a rope onto himself and rappelled into the castle's trash pit. Anyone care to guess what was at the bottom of the trash pit?
No treasure was at the bottom of the pit. Though a trash eating monster that nearly devoured everyone as we attempted to rescue Leroy Jenkins. It was an epic battle with lots of laughter and trash talk. All of the gaming sessions are fun, but this one was truly enjoyable as we attempted to figure out how to get ourselves out of the mess.
A good time was had by all.
The tentacles reminded me of the original Star Wars trash compactor movie scene. I am pretty sure somebody said: "3PO" during the melee. The display of camaraderie was in keeping with "the Order of the Gauntlet" which all the members of the Bookshop Gang are a member, except for Brocc the rebellious rogue gnome. The Order of the Gauntlet is dedicated to justice and equality. The Order is a group of "holy warriors on a righteous quest to crush evil and promote justice, and they never hide in the shadows... ... Camaraderie and esprit de corps run high with the order, an individual member will risk anything to save a fellow member or complete an important mission."[2.] The Great Trash Battle at Castle Naerytar highlights the order's valor.
Brocc the sneaky gnome that hides in the shadows is a part of the secret society called the Harpers. "Harper have been disbanded and rebuilt several times over its long history. The latest incarnation of the group retains its focus on gathering information, keeping a close watch on the balance of power... and promoting fairness and equality in quiet, unobtrusive ways. Harpers try to keep out of the public eye, preferring secrecy to fame and using knowledge to win the day over brute force. However, as the Cult of the Dragon grows more brazen and destructive, the Harpers are forced to act more openly in their opposition."[3.]
The Story
Who would call themself: a cult?
Our opponents are "the Cult of the Dragon." The story may start a bit too simple, because it is doubtful an evil organization would brand itself as a cult, but it keeps things simple. We know who the bad guys are, or do we?
It started years ago and was simple. There were strange things going on. Somebody, now long forgotten... wanted us to infiltrate the cult and find out what was going on and report back. We are now winning the hearts and minds of villages to persuade them to fight the cultists. Soon, the village outside Castle Naerytar that just feasted on frog legs will be receiving a shipment of 250 modern metal weapons coordinated by us. What could go wrong?
The book, Hoard of the Dragon Queen, was originally published in 2014. It has an American 2010-ish Afghanistan-Iraq vibe (storyline) to it. When will we find out what a roll of a natural one means for this storyline? Will the next session be the last supper?
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Dungeons and Dragons seem to continually have just one more puzzle to unlock, which will await for the next time friends gather to trash talk.
===== NOTES.
[1.] Soaking frog legs. Willowside Meats Blog/website. 3421 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, California 95401, United States. "Fried Frog Legs August 26, 2021." Fried Frog Legs (Accessed February 22, 2026)
[2.] Steve and Alexander Winter. The Rise of Tiamat. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2014. p. 12.
[3.] Winter, p. 11.
Previous Editions of
Dungeon Cooking Chronicles
C2: Loaded Dice (Click
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