3:00 PM, Icemonth the 19th. We talked about what our next options were. We assumed that we had to be getting close to the dragon, but wasn’t sure exactly where. The kobolds also looked like they had fled, so we weren’t sure if we were going to run into anything else while down here. Also, Fjord kept bringing up the Symbol to Graz’zt, and Yandr flat out told him that he’d start stabbing anyone who touched it. They had it in the box, tied closed, in the bag of holding, and Thobar was carrying the bag in his Porter chest.
We decided to head north from past the dark cave where eventually the passage split. It wandered north, split, came back together, and split again. Eventually ending up at the top of the cliffs that we had discovered a day or two ago and took the rope ladder from. We checked both sides and nothing had changed. Gun updated his map and we headed back to the long main corridor.
From here we had a passage east and two choices, but the northern one had some echoes come back – indicating a larger cave. We opted not to go that way, and instead headed east, southeast. The corridor was wide and spacious, but went on for a bit of distance before ending up at a 40 by 60’ chamber. Three sections of the wall were burning with wire, and 2 lava lizards were sleeping in here, using the flames to warm them. There was a door (a door?!?) on the south wall made of stone and the passage north past the lava lizards looked like it kept going.
We didn’t want any problem so we backed up a good 20’ down the passage and discussed options. Since they were sleeping, if Gun and Fjord could sneak up to them, they could end them with a single sword or dagger stroke. Before they headed off, Hrimvar called to Thrym and made the Halfling silent – the aura reaching out 15’ around him. They had 6 minutes.
So the two of them entered the chamber, went right up to the lava lizards, and pierced eyes and brains – killing the two monsters with a single stroke. Easiest encounter. We all reconvened and the spell ended. Gun wasn’t trusting the fires, assuming the dragon might be north of here. But the door here was worth looking at. The door was made of stone, thick, heavy, and the hinges were old and beaten into place. It was not locked but might have been in the past.
The door did not open easily and required some brute strength to get it to budge. Eventually it slid aside showing a rough cell 15’ diameter. A human warrior in dusty platemail was sitting on a chair, an ornate claymore at his feet. A simple straw pallet and table were here. We checked for traps (finding none), and then approached the dead guy. His armor and sword looked old in style, but had almost no wear on it – just discoloring and dust.
Fjord picked up the sword and there was a WHOOSHING sound, some dust swarmed around him, and he turned to the group and said, “You know, Brian, I think we should really go and find that dragon. Now. Like let’s go find it and kill it.” He was holding the blade and seemed focused. Altas guessed geas or quested at some point.
The group came in and convinced Fjord to wait and we need to rest, but the dragon is on our short list and we’ll go and get him soon. Cara and Yandr were looking over the warrior. He had a broken bow and in his quiver were 5 fancy arrows. Atlas cast a detect magic spell and we learned the sword was named “Dragon’s Bane”, a +1 weapon, +3 vs dragons. And if a dragon was within ½ a mile of the owner, he would draw the blade and become slowly increasingly fixated on finding and killing the dragon.
The armor was platemail +1, and according to Cara, the original owner was a knight and was 3rd generation. The maker’s mark was over a century and a half old. Yandr took the armor and wore it, giving his enchanted elven chain to Hrimvir who happily put it on. The arrows were given to Nevah after Atlas assured the group they were +2 to hit and damage. Again, on Nevah’s person was the telltale glow of a magic dagger but for now the party didn’t say much about it. As for the skeletal remains, Hrimvir called on Thrym again and animated it, having it rise to follow the party.
We left here closing the door and headed back to the main passage. From there we went east, north east to the large cavern. It was sizeable and was until recently a home to the kobolds, but right now was empty. We followed to the other side and the passage “Y”ed here – north and east. East led back to the cave with the dead lava lizards so that made Gun happy. We did follow it north. Almost 25 minutes of walking and we came to a slope of broken rock and stone. This was the area where the large snake had tried to eat Gun so this matched up with the north end of the nap.
This brought us back to only one possible way – the passage that was south of the main corridor that eventually went west and got very tight and narrow (5’ tall tops, 2 and a half feet wide). Atlas, Yandr, and Fjord would have a tough time navigating the confined area. It was about 7 PM and we were beat so we headed back to the dragon warrior’s original room and shut the door, opting to rest here.
We ate, wrote some scrolls, and decided to set up watches, falling asleep at 8:30 PM.
The next morning (20th) we healed up, prayed, and got ready for the day ahead. Fjord seemed a bit more manic about finding the dragon (3.5 out of 10). Altas assured us that the effect would slowly grow as the days went on and the need to kill the dragon was not abated. IF the dragon were to leave the ½ mile radius, the effect would end immediately.
We decided on a lark before going, to search the room for secret doors – and holy Odin – we found it! On the east wall the passage slide in and to the right, revealing a dusty passage turning south. “This guy was trapped in here and died and there was a way out?!” The group pondered. “He was obviously a shitty knight and adventurer.”
We followed the passage about 50’ and it ended…at a blank wall. “Yeah, not buying it,” Yandr took out his sledge hammer and we figured him, Fjord, Cara, and Hrimvir would take turns beat at the wall until it broke down or we snapped the door open.
Over the next hour and 10 minutes, we took turns swinging and smashing at the wall. It made a god awful racket, and Gun could see the outline of the door itself as we kept hitting it (but out beating at it had broken the opening mechanism so we now HAD to smash it open).
However after all that time, the wall shook and we heard a deep reptilian ANGRY voice on the other side of the door yell out, “STOP MAKING SO MUCH DAMNED NOISE!!!”
Fuck, dragon and we made it mad.
Then we heard an inrushing of air.
“RUN!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!”” the party booked off back down the secret passage as Netherithraxus let forth a blast of dragon breath from the other side of the secret door, melting the stone there and fusing the door shut in place.
Back in the Warriors’ room, we closed the other secret door and sighed. We’d now have to go and use the narrow passage. So we made our way through the quiet kobold warren one last time. We moved packs and drew up in line, Fjord going first. And then we entered.
Narrow passage wandered about a bunch. East, south, east, south, then west. Atlas grew cramped and exhausted and the party had to rest for a bit before daring to try again. It was an hour and a half of crawling and sweating before the winding kobold sized passage opened up to a larger cave and we could stand again.
40’ at least, 15’ ceiling. There were 6 very burned to a crisp skeletal kobolds here. A check of them over led us to believe they had been dragon killed a day or two ago. This was it. The passage to the east went off and we could see scrapes in the ceiling, floor, and walls that the dragon had come down this far, probably many times. Fjord was particularly excited we had to be close.
This meant we had to set our plan before we go to the dragon because the geas on the sword would make any planning at that time moot. So. We handed out bless spells to everyone who could cast. Atlas let us know that the dragon probably had natural magic resistance but also, its scales would probably need magic to hit it – otherwise damage done to it would be severely muted. We went through our magic weapons, taking stock.
Kobold chief’s flaming short sword, dragon’s bane claymore, Gavin Ahshit’s enchanted spear, enchanted brass knuckles found in the temple of Aine, Aine’s horse bow and now the 5 +2 arrows, and finally the enchanted dagger that Nevah had and hadn’t mentioned. Gun went right over there and took it out. “Really?” he asked. “We need this now.” Nevah was not happy.
With 8 of us possibly fighting, it was going to be Atlas and Carl without an enchanted weapon to bear, so they would be primarily using spells and support. We had Carl and Cara’s similar resist and protection from fire spells and a host of healing potions. We were as ready as we were going to be.
We left the main cave and headed east, following the long wide and tall corridor as it slowly led us closer and closer to the dragon. 11:10 AM on Icemonth the 20th.
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