Food for thought

The party is on the threshold of coming back to Omach, after liberating a fort, and thus earning all the commendations needed to locate a hidden lair of the last known “good” dragon. Newin says this is the key to Paladine's power returning to Omach. In a linear way, what is to come seems more or less simple. Get a location and go there to wake up a dragon.

Yet your DM is benevolent (sometimes). Remember things are on the brink of war; when this good dragon is unleashed it will no doubt act as a final catalyst to making this war happen. That means this may be your last trip into Omach before a war happens, and people die in wars. Cities can be demolished in wars. Power can exchange hands quickly in a war. I can not say whether Omach will be razed to the ground, or escape unscathed. Indeed much of how the war happens will rest on the PC's shoulders... No pressure.

It is times like this though that you must try and recall to your roleplaying why you are involved in this conflict. Who are your enemies? Who are your allies? Who has ulterior motives?

Aden does indeed await inside the dragon army, but where is this army? Many have spoken of troops stationed nearby, but since traveling the only evidence of this has been a skirmish with ogres and a mighty clash with a dragon. It is easy to see though that a massive army would be needed to take down Omach. When the Urakai orcs marched on Helm's Deep in the Two-Towers, their presence was unmistakable. That was but 500 men and elves in a small keep (roughly the size of your newly acquired keep) Omach is massive, roughly a square mile inside the city walls and has in the hundreds of thousands of people in it. So again, why is this threat felt, but not much more than a squad of dragonkin seen?

Even if you are lucky enough to face Aden on the battlefield, what are you to do? This specter of a man rides atop a dragon nearly double the size of the one you fought. Even if the dragon is drawn off, you still must face a force that can open up the ocean, survive death itself, and rides upon a legendary dragon as though it were a horse. Your blind rage and ambition to send Aden back to some dark corner of the netherworld perhaps has made you forgot that he is a death knight, chosen by his demon queen, and seems now bolstered by powers unknown.

You also have not exactly made friends with Lady Lucretia. This lamia weilds powerful magic, and was smarter than many enemies you faced... she actually retreated. Is she hiding somewhere near Storval Deep? Some in your party believe she plays a bigger role, especially with these tattoos that seems to channel life force upon death.

Even more concerns include, Artemis the skilled assassin, the dark elves who have been very quiet in the game as of late, dragonkin falling into new and unusual classes like ninja; who knows what they may next throw at you. There may still be more ogres by your keep, but you know they have ventured down into the flat lands as well. Your stay in Istar no doubt upset the waking dead; hopefully their reach won't be long enough to interfere in the war. Your enemies' treachery is so deep that the honorable blue dragon you fought seemed victim to some fell magic. Perhaps the most worrisome are the enemies you have not met yet those ones you may now call allies. You know that logistically a gigantic dragonkin army can not remain invisible to Omach with out someone on the inside seeing to it that they remain invisible.

Fear not though, you have good friends as well. The royalty in Omach seem noble and have taken a liking to your bold spirits. Nicodemus has made friends inside the thieves' guild, and Sabellion the fighter's. Crimwinkle is widely enjoyed and revered as a bard in Omach. Maive has the backing of those that are trying to rekindle the power of the gods. Lastly is Sasha who has a father so powerful and pure it would seem thathe might take on the whole of the invading forces, were it not for his hyper-disciplined obedience to the city of Omach. Imagine how powerful he might be if the powers of Paladine course through his paladin blood.

So yes keep these things in mind. I plan to keep more than one storyline afloat in the sea of plots. Its easy to just go with the flow, but exploring proves the most rewarding as a player, and the characters normally benefit. And don't worry I got more twists than a Twizzler.

(about the picture) This a rough approximation of what the letter that your deciphered and found looks like a map, looks like.

(yet to come) I am going to legit make some of those journal entries from the journal you found as well.