Adventures #7 & #8 - Jotun Valley and the Dragon Orbs -&- Bleak be the Future

"Another one?" Elodie cries, reaching for her wand again. She points it at the silver dragon.

Use Wand of Flame Strike.
Damage = 44

Round 6 (Continued) ...

Init 15 (Continued)

Jeremiah plugs the new arrival with three more arrows. His knowledge of dragon anatomy is really paying off. With each arrow, the dragon winces in pain, spilling precious dragon blood on the ground.

Then, by the power of Elodie, the dragon is engulfed in a pillar of holy fire, which leaves it burnt and blistered ... but alive! The silver dragon is obviously much tougher than the white one.

Init 14

Unable to reach Talmut, the blue dragon turns its attention to Miphelgara. As the two dragons go at it, the result is a mass of claws and teeth intertwined upon their serpentine necks. Unfortunately, the blue dragon is older and much larger than the young bronze dragon, whom he leaves lying in a bloody heap upon the cave floor.
- Bite Attack = 29 (Hit); Miphelgara suffers 15 damage
- Claw Attack = 23 (Hit); Miphelgara suffers 16 damage
- Claw Attack = Natural 1 (Miss)
- Wing Attack = 38 (Hit); Miphelgara suffers 12 damage
- Wing Attack = 33(Hit); Miphelgara suffers 9 damage
- Tail  Attack = 28 (Hit); Miphelgara suffers 20 damage
- Miphelgara is unconscious and dying.

Grievously wounded, the silver dragon inhales deeply and makes a desperate attempt to save itself. Turning toward Jeremiah, it opens its mouth and belches forth a thick silvery cloud of gas. When the gas hits him, Jeremiah feels his muscles tightening ... but as a seasoned adventurer who has experienced all sorts of melodies and afflictions, he is able to grit his teeth and fight through the paralysis ... essentially defeating the silver dragon's breath-weapon.
- Paralyzing Breath. Jeremiah's Fortitude Save = 25 (Success); no effect.

Start of Round 7 ...

Init 15
Realizing that Miphelgara is in serious trouble, Talmut pulls a large diamond from his satchel as he steps back into view ... and then casts one of the most powerful spells in his repertoire.
- Cast "Lesser Wish" to duplicate the effects of an "Enlarged Cure Critical Wounds" on Miphelgara. Miphelgara regains 33 HP (He now has 26).

Realizing he cannot defeat the blue dragon alone, Miphelgara transforms back into a human as he climbs to his feet and then makes a break for the same tunnel where Talmut is hiding. Unfortunately, the blue dragon takes advantage of the situation to take another bite out of Miphelgara ... but Miphelgara survives!
- Blue Dragon's Opportunity Attack = 28 (Hit); Miphelgara suffers 25 damage (He now has 1 HP left).

Gumphrey continues to thrust his magical blade into the silver dragon's backside. The silver dragon roars as it's burnt, puncturing body collapses to the ground, dead.
- Gumphrey's attacks = 30 and 27 (Hit and Miss); Gumphrey deals 36 damage. The silver dragon dies.
- Gumphrey also suffers 6 damage from the vicious dagger.

Gumphrey then cries out "I can hear more of them outside. Lots more."

From inside the tunnel, Talmut yells back "I doubt these winds are strong enough to hinder the blue wyrm, so be wary!" 

- OOC: Jeremiah and Elodie ...

Jeremiah will attempt to shoot the blue dragon through the wind wall.


Attack 1: 12 + 29 = 41 | 4 + 12 = 16
Attack 2: 17 + 24 = 41 | 5 + 12 = 17
Attack 3: 6 + 19 = 25 | --

"Shall we continue the fight? Or, since all of the dragons appear to be here; teleport directly to the orbs and try to kill the masters?"

OOC: I did not calculate the miss chance for the wind wall...


GM Edit: OOC: It's a 100% miss chance.

Realizing that Talmut and Miphelgara are in trouble, Elodie concentrates on getting rid of the wall of wind.

Cast Dispel Magic.
Dispel Check: 14 + 15 = 29

End of Round 7 ...

Init 15 (Continued)

Elodie calls upon the spirits of nature to dissolve the magic of the silver dragon's wind wall ... and the spirits do not disappoint. The winds dissipate just in time for Jeremiah's arrow find their mark!

Jeremiah lifts his bow to fire into the wind, just as the magic wall comes down. Thunk! Thunk! Crack! Two arrows sink into the dragon's rump, while the third smashes into the cave wall!

Init 14

With a ground-shaking roar, the wounded blue wyrm spins around, the arrows still jutting from his back, and spits forth another bolt of lighting from its throat! Somehow, Jeremiah avoids the dragon breath, as the electrify cracks apart the wall of the tunnel beside him.
- Jeremiah's Reflex Save = 23 (Success); No damage, thanks to evasion.

Start of Round 8 ...

Init 15

Unseen by the party, the invisible stalker charges the dragon, but fails to hit.
- Attack Rolls = 22 and 25 (Miss and Miss)

Gumphrey puts away his dagger and draws his bow, trying to sink his arrows near Jeremiah's arrow.
- Gumphrey's Attack Rolls = 31 and 28 (Hit and Miss); the dragon suffers 10 damage and then another 10 damage.

Talmut peaks out from behind cover and summons one of his patented acid darts! Unfortunately, the dart sails right through the main entrance of the cave and doesn't hit a darn thing. 
- Ranged Touch Attack = Natural 1 (Miss)

Realizing how close he is to death, Miphelgara kneels painfully to the ground and waits for whichever finds him first: prayers or death.

OOC: J and E?

Elodie runs toward Miphelgara, attempting to dodge the attacks of the blue dragon as she runs past. Once she reaches Miphelgara, she will use her wand to alleviate some of his injuries. 

Use Wand of Cure Serious Wounds.
Cures 24 HP.

"Gumphrey, get back here!"

Jeremiah will rip a couple arrows off...

Attack 1: 7 + 29 = 36 | 6 + 12 = 18
Attack 2: 16 + 24 = 40 | 4 + 12 = 16
Attack 3: 12 + 19 = 31 | 5 + 12 = 17

Round 8 Continued ...

Init 15 (Continued)

Elodie races past the blue wyrm, in an effort to reach the wounded Miphelgara. While her guard is down, the blue dragon slashes her with his monstrous claw! ... but the that does stop her from reaching her companions and delivering much needed healing magic.
- Elodie suffers 22 points of damage
- Miphelgara is healed.

Jeremiah looses three well-placed arrows into the dragon's maw! The blue wyrm winces and shakes, trying to shake off the wounds.

Init 14
With few options left, the dying blue wyrm charges Jeremiah. Thrusting his long neck down the narrow tunnel, it snaps its jaws at Jeremiah ... but is unable to sink his teeth in!
- Attack Roll = 28 (vs. Jeremiah's 27 AC and +2 cover)

Round 9!!

Init 15

Following Jeremiah's orders, Gumphrey pulls his dagger and charges the blue dragon!
- Attack Roll = 34; Damage = 33 damage
- Gumphrey also suffers 6 damage

With the dragon on the other side of the cavern, Talmut steps out from cover and conjures another acid dart! The magical glob sails across the cavern and slops onto the dragon's back, causing caustic burn upon the monster's scales. 
- Ranged Touch Attack = 27 (Hit); Talmut deals 7 damage to the blue dragon.

Miphelgara looks up at Elodie and says "Thank you, Elodie. That was close."

Then, the young dragon follows Talmut out into the main cavern, and transforms back into a young bronze dragon. Realizing that his lightning breath cannot hurt a blue dragon, and faced with his own frailty against the much older wyrm, Miphelgara does not attack ... but he readies himself to do so.

- OOC: J and E?

Angered, Jeremiah will switch to his dragon slaying axe and rush the blue dragon.

"It's time you taste this blade you terrible beast!"

7 + 27 = 34 | DMG 17

Round 9 Continued ...

Init 15

Jeremiah wrote:Angered, Jeremiah will switch to his dragon slaying axe and rush the blue dragon. "It's time you taste this blade you terrible beast!"
7 + 27 = 34 | DMG 17

With one final blow, Jeremiah severs the head of the blue dragon, which drops to the ground with a THUD!

- OOC: End Combat.

looking to the others....

"Now what?"

Jeremiah wrote:looking to the others...
"Now what?"

Gumphrey suggests "Perhaps it's time to leave the dragons behind and go directly to the citadel? I mean, there's quite a lot outside the cave. How many more can they have left behind?"

"Not too many," Miphelgara nods.

"Perhaps," Talmut ponders, "but what if the rear guard is where all the power lies?"

Miphelgara nods again. "The dragons we have been fighting have been my elders by hundreds of years or more ... but there are venerable wyrms who live to see a dozen centuries or so."

"Well, we can't stay here, forever," Gumphrey says. "I say we get out of here before more dragons start streaming in."

Gumphrey wrote:"Perhaps it's time to leave the dragons behind and go directly to the citadel? ... I say we get out of here before more dragons start streaming in."

Jeremiah wrote:"Agreed. Do we have a teleport ready to take us to the citadel? We can teleport there, if it gets to hairy we can try to use my gloves to recall us all back to the Arx but that's pretty risky. It will also give up the location of the Arx if they try and scry our location. I'll go with the majority vote on this one, but we need to make it quick..."

Elodie wrote:"My vote is to try the citadel. If it's worse there, then we'll use your gloves, Jeremiah."

Talmut responds, "Very well, then, let us go quickly." He grabs everyone's hands as he mutters his eldritch words and within a moment, the Band of Four arrives at the Citadel.

The citadel appears to be deserted, except for the charred remains of five men lying on the ground. Behind them sits a dais of stone and upon the dais stands nine pedestals, six of which hold glowing orbs of various colors. You seem to be alone with nobody to guard the orbs.

"Well...I thought I incinerated most of them...but who knows what unseen power could be protecting those orbs. Give me a moment to attempt to figure out if there's anything dangerous here. Talmut, can you detect any auras while I look for anything else?" Elodie digs out a small vial of oil and bites the cork, tugging it out with her teeth. She dabs her fingers in the oil and smears it below her eyes, whispers a brief incantation, and looks around.

Cast True Seeing.

Talmut casts a simple cantrip to look for auras. After a few seconds, he reports "there are overwhelming auras of enchantment magic."

Elodie, however, casts a more powerful spell which allows her to see things as they truly are. To her, the orbs appear to be mere illusions, surrounded by hidden glyphs and sigils. Furthermore, she spots a large ghostly eye, about the size of a cantaloupe, hovering invisibly above the orbs and seemingly staring at the party. Lastly, she notices a shimmering field against the wall of the central citadel, that appears to be a gateway of some sort (though she cannot peer through it and has no idea where it leads).

There appears to be nothing in or around the main (mundane) entrance to the citadel.

Elodie shares what she sees with the party. "I'm pretty sure we're being watched, and that the orbs aren't actually there. There's also some sort of gateway on the citadel wall..."