Reign of Winter #38: The Dragon is dead and the key to the next destination is acquired!

Diary of Zaaz Bloodfortune:

Our magic and strength at low ebb, we take the only way open to us.  We barricade ourselves into a room and hope the forces against us won’t attack and waste our rest.  The powers of magic come to one only when one has prepared to receive them.  Rest, communion, a centering of the mind, all of these things are as important to one calling on the energies I do as a beer and a hearty meal are to a dwarven warrior.  

Dalomar and Sadobras offered to take watch while the rest of us rest and we gladly took them up on their offer.  When we woke, we learned what happened as we slept.

As Sadobras was on watch, he heard a Triaxian come out of a room and go to the door we heard something odd behind.  It sounds like he opened the door, then ran.  Sadobras, concerned for what might be loose, went out into the hall and found a hiding spot.  From where he sequestered himself, he unfortunately hears Snori’s prospective wife get eaten.  Soon enough he hears it wandering the hall for a time but is unsure what it was.  As his watch came to an end, he hears it coming closer.  Eventually it came to our room and realizing we were inside, it broke down the door.

Finishing my communion with Grr, I was shocked by the creature before me.   A brief image of four insectile legs with a humanoid body and the monster lunged into the room.   It’s skin, or perhaps carapace would be a better description, flowed and changed trying to match the room around it.  Huge in front of us, yet my eyes were having trouble following its path.  On its hands were deadly looking claws and its mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.  Later, I would learn this monstrous creature was called a StormGhost.

In moments it called forth a storm of plague that blinded Sadobras and the monk.  Knowing that to fight it we must better see it, I cast a spell of Glitterdust on the creature.  The great weapon of it’s stealth broken, it quickly escaped out into the hall.  Knowing that should it have the opportunity to strike at us later with its stealth restored, the outcome of the fight might be in question, we all gave chase.  All of us fought it, but with its electrical aura, even getting close enough to attack it would wound us.  Finally, gathering my power, I encased it within a tomb of ice.  Though it will eventually be free, in this cold place it will hopefully be long after we have gone.

After defeating the creature, Snori went and verified that indeed his new prospective wife was indeed deceased. Bracing our courage, we moved forward into the dragon’s lair.  The Antechamber was massive with two giant ice pillers.  Predictably, as we passed the pillars, and prepared to go within, the pillars showed their true form, huge Ice Elementals.  Snori moves up to attack them as Tauvum summed a Djinn. The Djinn was killed quickly, so powerful the ice elements were.   I moved up and threw a hex of retribution upon one so that at least it took some damage in return.  The two of them moved towards us and both attack Sadobras.  One cleanly missed, while the other looked to be able to score a hit, but Sadobras twisted his mount at the last moment.  Soon enough we finish off the elementals and once again prepare to enter the dragons lair.

Tauvum brings forth some strange shadow elf creature, while I down a potion then use dimension door to move Sadobras, Nevrah, and Snori into the room.  Within, two strongly build Barbarians and a Dragon are within on a massive platform at the center of the pentagonal chamber.  Tauvum casts a greater dispel magic on the Dragon to remove some of its defenses, while Sabobras charges and takes a chunk out of one of the dragon’s guards.  The other barbarian moves up and with his weapon slices deep into me.  Soon, a cold and icy fog spread throughout the room, emanating from the dragon and limiting our ability to see.  Before the fog covers everything though, Dalomar manages to finish off one of the guards.  Knowing that waiting for the Dragon would be the height of folly, I jumped up into the air, flying above and trying to get rid of the fog with dispel magic, but to no success.  Soon, I’m joined in the sky by the Dragon itself, as it breathes down frost and ice at our party.  I manage to avoid getting caught in it and the rest of my friends fare well due to our preparations.  Down on the ground, Dalomar finishes off the other barbarian guard as Snori and Tauvum trade ranged attacks with the wyrm.  Moving around, Sadobras uses his slink to sneak attack the beast as well.  

Previous to entering the lair of the beast, I had drunk a potion I thought might be of help against Yrax, a Truefrost Elixer.  This potion would let even a white dragon suffer from cold.  So, casting again I struck it with a cone of cold, causing it to scream in pain.  Yoska then flew over the Dragon and somehow attacked it by elongating his arm.  Tauvum’s creature of shadow, some kind of strange angel, also attacked the Dragon with a beam of light.  The Dragon struck back at the Angel wounding it.  Sensing we needed more heat to kill the beast, I brought forth a Cuestodaemon to blast it with fire.  The Angel also struck and wounded and managed to blind the dragon, but was soon killed.  Yoska, making a bladed dash finished off the last of the dragons Mirror Images, then damaged him as well.  With all of us attacking, soon the dragon was defeated, and we stood there panting.

Exploring the room, we found the bear skin we had been looking for, a bag filled with special dice, and a variety of other treasure.

The dragon now dead and our mission essentially complete, I wonder how much more we will need to do to return to our own world.  

Reign of Winter #37: Inside the Ivoryglass to confront Yrax, Lord of the Howling Storm!

Diary of Zaaz Bloodfortune

Finally, we are within the fortress, but I wonder if we have made the right choice.   Immediately, after we charge in Dalomar locks them, yet in moments we can hear the doors clang and crash as the Hydras outside try to follow.  Without, there is enough to give us pause, and yet we know little of what waits within.  We’ve no way to seal the doors effectively, so soon we may be pressed on both fronts.

In the brief respite we take the time to renew protective magics and heal.  Dalomar scouts ahead and soon warns us something large is approaching.  Ahead, he tells us, there are several paths and a room that opens up and has several bone statues arranged.  Before anything can get to us from the front, a crash from behind shows us that my fears were well founded.  The hydras break in and move towards us.   Sadobras casts plant growth on some shoots he brought with and manages to slow them down.   Tauvum, once again draws a scroll and begins to read.  As they seem to have matters in hand, I move forward to see what approaches from the right, only to start back at the sight of some kind of dragon bone golem creature.

Back at the Hydras, Yoska strikes at one and a flurry of elemental magics all seem to spark at once.  Tauvum finishes his scroll with a shout and a strange black lantern appears.  Flying around it, five large Escorite Death Moths come forth, shooting black rays at the hydras.  A palpable aura of inevitability shines from them, shaking our enemies.   Their end approaches and the Moths are the harbingers.

Sadobras moves up to engage one of the golems and manages to drop a 10’ pit in its way, hampering it’s ability to retaliate.   Slicing quickly on my arm to coat my dagger in blood, I quickly draw a symbol on the ground and begin summoning a Cuestodaemon.  Once the daemon comes forth into our world, I command it to attack the golem and it blasts at it with its fiery breath.  The construct strikes it back and suddenly a bone cage flies from one of the pedestals and surrounds me. 

The next few minutes are mostly a blur.   One moment Sadobras is hard pressed, the next the Cuestodaemon dimension doors him to safety.  The moths fly in and one of the constructs turns to dust.   Freed of my prison, I jump to Nevrah and dimension door us both to safety.  Dalomar moves like an acrobat, springing in and out of the fray.  Snori exploring and bringing more to attack us.  More golems, these made of glass, that inflict terrible wounds that bleed profusely.  One by one we manage to smash the enemies in our way, yet my magic wanes.  My hexes have no real effect on constructs and so I must needs use my spells, which are quickly running out. 

Somehow, we manage to finish off the hydras and golems, yet more dragonkin are headed in from outside.  White, Copper, and red dragonkin move to attack us.  Luckily for me, these are no immune to my special magics and I call forth retribution on my enemies.   Each attack made by the white only serves to damage itself.  I use enervation to remove even more of his life. 

Dalomar moves up and strikes several times at the red dragonkin, killing it as Snori harasses the copper.  Yoska finishes off the white dragonkin and we all turn towards the remaining foe.  Combining our attacks, Dalomar moves up with a disorienting strike, a hex of agony lashes it with pain, as Yoska moves in and finishes him off. 

All immediate opponents finished, we quickly heal again and start to move forward.  Snori warns us not to go into a Kitchen area he has found as his wife is in there.  I would ask more details, but I fear Snori would drag me into whatever realm of insanity he dwells within.  Continuing to explore, we find a shrine to Dahak, evil god of chromatic dragons.  Dalomar continues to scout and finds a room with the sound of something within.  Another door he unlocks and finds a magnificently decorated room.  Another door has a dining area.  In another he finds a figuring of wonderous power that summons a bronze dragon.

Snori, who has been exploring as well finds prison cells and then a training room with a woman and he chats with her a bit.

Having looked at the other doors, Dalomar opens the door that he had heard something within.  A Huge 8-legged white bear is within.  Dalomar recognizing it as a Kokogiak, a magical beast of high intelligence and very dangerous, closes the door.  Soon though it comes out into the hall and begins to attack us.  Yoska pushes me out of the way.  Casting tongues on myself, I try to negotiate with it, but either it still doesn’t understand or it ignores me.   I try to stop it or slow it down with a web, but it breathes cod in attack.  Snori pulls out a wasps nest from somewhere and throws it at the bear’s feet.   The swarm of wasps does come out and attack the bear, but it does so little damage the bear just ignores the swarm.  Yoska moves in and strikes at the creature several times.  I try to use an Agony hex, but the bear just shakes it off.  The Kokogiak bites Yoska and strikes at him with six of his claws.   Poor yoska is wounded but fights on.   I call forth a sleep hex, but again it shakes it off.  Snori somehow makes his weapon a bane weapon vs Kokogiaks and strikes at it surprisingly hard.  Tauvum tries to support with his bow, but misses as the creature breaks cold on Snori, Yoska, and I.  Yoska lets out a yell and moves forward, hitting and killing the creature.

We continue exploring and find a library with dragon size books, the dragons toilet, and a work room for making golems.   In the work room, we find several scrolls and reagents worth much gold.  Unable to understand the woman who had been in the training room, Snori brings me over to talk with her.  I learn that her name is Cesser of Ning and is a Quigong monk and Yukara warrior from the Immortal Suzeranity of Ning.  She tells us she is honor bound to report us to the dragon unless we have a champion spar with her.  Snori, insists that he wants to battle the woman, so we all move to the arena.   There, she uses some kind of strange medusa strike and hits Snori with a barrage of strikes.  Snori, wavering so badly it’s a wonder he can stand strikes back and somehow takes the monk down in one strike, both falling unconscious.   While she lays there, we debate if we should finish her off, but decide that since she fought honorably, perhaps she needn’t be killed.  Once she awakens, she tells us that she feels that though she came under honorable pretense, this place isn’t honorable anymore.  That she wants to leave, but can’t assist us in the fight.  She can’t fight for us, but she does tell us how to get to where the dragon is.  Also, from her we learn that the white bear was a barbarian leader being recruited by the dragon.  She also tells us that the dragon is on a large, very slippery platform and that he has a nest with great treasures.

So now we must decide.   Continue our attack and strike at the dragon when most of our magics are in their ebb.  Or, retreat for now, knowing the dragon could leave or bring in more allies, yet we would attack with all our power.   I feel as if I’ve passed another barrier of self with all the fighting we have done and that could I but commune with Grr, I could bring forth a whole new range of magics.  Bloodied and tired, I look at my companions and feel sure I know what their choice will be….