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In his hesitation the Auctioneer passes over Jaren who is busy collecting his new stuffed grizzly bear. It is nearing dusk when the final lot is opened: HUnclay's manor home and his land. The auction is running long, and Chosk pauses for several minutes while servants quickly light lanterns throughout the amphitheater.
Eventually the auction begins with an opening bid of 2500 gp.
"Hey ... do you guys see that?"
Barral points toward the flying shadow about them ...
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Before Barral has time to finish his sentence a shrill scream pierces the air as a group of lanky bat-like humanoids fly down onto the stage. Each of these creatures has a tail and four narrow eyes. The move about silently with an unnerving grace.
The townsfolk quickly spread out in a massed panic as the alien and fearsome forms swoop down and land on the amphitheater stage.
DEMONS! someone yells from the crowd. The bat-like creatures quickly begin to dismember two of the townsfolk, a young couple that stayed cowering behind a cart.
from the stars. They often travel via portals to other worlds
via that are undergoing eclipses to pillage resources that
are rare on their frozen homeworlds. Many members of
this evil race are known for their devotion to the Outer
God Nyarlathotep (whom they worship in his guise as the
Haunter of the Dark), and it isn’t uncommon for colonies
of grioths to be led by his clerics. Grioths’ voices are raspy
and dry. They favor weaponry crafted from a strange
material known as voidglass (see page 35).
The grioth race is prone to mutations, their forms
twisted by the eldritch forces within the Dark Tapestry
into lumbering giants or deformed horrors. Some grioths
grow unusually large and ferocious, and the elders of the
race possesses unusual and deadly psychic powers—
abilities that aid them in ruling their dark spire cities and
in their constant war against their hated foes, the entities
of the Dominion of the Black.
Riggs
Jaren
Barral
Jasmine
Lovec
-----------------------------
Grioths
-----------------------------
Lovec reacts to the screams. "No, not demons. But they aren't friendly either."
Lovec draws his longbow, and takes aim at one of creatures on the stage (blue).
Barral steps back and draws his Great Sword, then triggers his Bastion of Good ability before waiting on the Grioths to move closer ...
Know. Nature
Riggs nodded as Lovec recognized the otherworldly beasts as well. He fired a magical spear at the closest one not in melee
Ranged attack
Damage
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The group, quick on their feet fires the first volley at the preoccupied Grioths. Riggs hurls a magical spear at the blue Grioth on the stage.
Barral smites the red Grioth as he forms a protective circle about his companions.
LOvec fires an arrow ending the blue Grioths life as it falls from the sage with a thud.
Bastion of Good (red)- 10 feet radius from Barral
Riggs
Jaren
Barral
Jasmine
Lovec
-----------------------------
Grioths
-----------------------------
Jaren moves forward and gives the closest Grioth a poke with his cold iron long spear.
Keep them occupied! They can't kill anyone if we kill them first!
Jasmine steps closer to the red Grioth, enlarging as she does so, before striking out with her Greatsword.
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Jasmine and Jaren's combined attacks both miss horribly as the Grioth's dodge out of the way. Each of the remaining Grioths produce a kukri-like glass blade that seems to be as strong as any steel as they encircle the pair. Two of the Grioths take to the air and dive in next to Jaren.
The glass blades bite into Jaren and Jasmine's flesh and a surge of violent energy enters their mind through the wicked blade, nearly confusing the pair.
Bastion of Good (red)- 10 feet radius from Barral
Riggs
Jaren (16/21; NL 1)
Barral
Jasmine (21/24; NL 3)
Lovec
-----------------------------
Grioths
-----------------------------
Barral charges the grioth ...
for
if
Riggs casts Ear Piercing Scream at the red enemy.
Damage
DC 16 Fort save for half damage and to avoid Daze effect.
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Barral rushes the yellow Grioth as it turns it's back to him. His large greatsword ends it's life in one swift blow as it cleaves the creatures head clean off.
Spinning around Riggs directs a concentrated magical scream at the red Grioth, who immediately begins to claw at its ears.
Bastion of Good (red)- 10 feet radius from Barral
Riggs
Jaren (16/21; NL 1)
Barral
Jasmine (21/24; NL 3)
Lovec
-----------------------------
Grioths (Red -8; Dazed 1 rnd)
-----------------------------
Seeing the creatures engage his teammates, Lovec drops his bow and circles around behind the closest one (green), drawing his sword as he moves.
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Lovec's longsword slashes a deep gash into the Grioth's side causing it to turn it's attention to the Ranger.
Enlarged Jasmine slashes her greatsword at the red grioth once again.
jasmine's massive blade misses the monstrous creature as Jaren steps back and stabs his spear at the green grioth.
The spear slams throught he grioth's chest ending it's life. The remaining Grioth shakes it's head as it finally clears it's head.
The remaining members of the party easily dispatch the lone Grioth. Acolytes of Abadar are seen dashing throughout the streets healing all that they can. One cleric stops by and releases a wave of healing before dashing off once again when suddenly a tremendous roar fills the air. A larger creature swoops down and lands atop one of the smaller storage buildings on the Amphitheater's stage. A scaly, reptilian winged creature with smoke and fire billowing from its jaws. In panic some of the remaining townsfolk begin to scream A DRAGON!
The Drake leaps into the air as it hovers 20 feet above. Its throat begins to glow a bright red as it opens it's maw. Instead of a torrent of flames spewing forth a large ball of molten fire launches and splashes out in a wide radius between Jaren, Lovec and Riggs. The molten fire explodes and splashes across everyone in the party.
-------------------------------------
Drake (Flying 20 feet up; Breath 3 rounds)
-------------------------------------
Jaren (6/21)
Lovec (13/28)
Jasmine (9/24)
Barral (14/29)
Riggs (8/23)
Barral drops his Great Sword and draws his crossbow, arming it with cold iron bolts ...
"Spread out ..."
Jasmine, upon seeing the flying enemy, casts Burst of Radiance of the Drake.
Jaren looks at the winged beast grimly, and starts up a rousing battle song.
With gnashing teeth and boiling breath,
The winged beast did bring death!
But with bravery and courage, the defenders did rise,
With grim determination visible in their eyes!
The dragon came, and brought its fury,
Burning houses to the ground,
And all that that could be heard
Was the keening dreadful sound!
But with might and blade and bravery,
The people formed their wall,
And the terrible beast was brought down
By the strength of them all!
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Jaren quickly moves into a rousing song of victory against impossible odds while Jasmine releases a bright burst of blinding radiance near the drake's head.
The drake roars as it shakes its head in the blinding light. Barral spreads out drawing his crossbow as he drops his greatsword to the ground.
Inspire Courage +1
-------------------------------------
Drake (-8 HP; Flying 20 ft; Breath 3 rnds; Dazzled 2 rnds)
-------------------------------------
Jaren (14/21)
Lovec (13/28; reflex save)
Jasmine (9/24)
Barral (22/29)
Riggs (8/23; reflex save)
Know. Arcana
Reflex save
"If you have any cold based magic, use all of it now! Don't use any fire, it won't Boyer him."
Riggs casts a Magic Missile at the beast and two missiles streak toward it.
Damage
Riggs looks for cover, fearing another blast of fire from the drake n
"Snap out of it Lovec ... we need your bow to help bring this thing down."
Lovec is captivated by the oncoming wyrm. Finally... a real dragon. Unfortunately, he is so enraptured by the beast, he is unable to dodge the gout of flame.
Hurriedly tamping down the moldering embers on his shirt, Lovec draws his bow, takes aim at the beast, and fires.
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Lovec is nearly incinerated by the gout of flame as he draws back his bowstring. His aim falters as the heat from the fireball burns him once again causing the arrow to bounce off of the dragon's thick scales.
Seeing the arrow having little effect Riggs sends a twin pair of missiles of his own screaming at the drake.
One of the nearby clerics sees trouble and sends out a wave of healing just as the drake swoops in landing next to Riggs. Screaming the cleric takes off running away from the monstrous creature.
Inspire Courage +1
-------------------------------------
Drake (-15 HP; Breath 2 rnds; Dazzled 1 rnds)
-------------------------------------
Jaren (21/21)
Lovec (21/28)
Jasmine (17/24)
Barral (29/29)
Riggs (16/23)
Barral retrieves his Great Sword and charges the Drake ...
for
if
Riggs delays until the others have an opportunity to attack. With the beast next to him, he was in a world of hurt.
Continuing his poem, Jaren charges the drake as well, leveling his spear, charging with his arcane power, and stabbing two handed.
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Imbuing arcane power through his spear Jaren jams the end of it into the Drake's haunch, causing it to roar in pain.
Using the opportunity Barral charges in and is able to cut at a vital spot on the Drake's spine, definitely drawing its attention away from Riggs.
Inspire Courage +1
-------------------------------------
Drake (-52 HP; Breath 2 rnds; Dazzled 1 rnds)
-------------------------------------
Jaren (21/21)
Lovec (21/28)
Jasmine (17/24)
Barral (29/29)
Riggs (16/23)
Lovec takes aim at the beast, letting a flurry of arrows fly at the creature.
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Jasmine assumes a defensive position as Lovec is not able to geta single arrow through the drakes tough scales.
The drake clamps down on Barral's shoulder nearly biting him in half in a single chomp.
Inspire Courage +1
-------------------------------------
Drake (-52 HP; Breath 2 rnds; Dazzled 1 rnds)
-------------------------------------
Jaren (21/21)
Lovec (21/28)
Jasmine (17/24)
Barral (8/29)
Riggs (16/23)
Barral with heal a little by ...
... then continue(s) his assault ...
for
... but the pain from his wounds is starting to take its toll.
Jaren stabs again with his spear, keeping his inspiring poem going.
Riggs takes a 5' step to the south, and tries to cast defensively, using his arcane bond to recall the Magic Missile spell he previously cast.
DC 16 Caster Level Check
Damage, if successful
Jasmine, appreciating success of her previous spell, and noticing that her allies with ranged attacks looked helpless against the drake, fires off a second Burst of Radiance.
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Jaren stabs atthe drake but his spear clatters harmlessly off of it's thick scales.
Quickly Barral tends to his wounds, though it seems the large wound is still taking it's toll on the Paladin as he misses the large drake in front of him.
Stepping back Riggs tries to recall a spell and ends up losing his concentration and the spell.
Inspire Courage +1
-------------------------------------
Drake (-52 HP; Breath 1 rnds)
-------------------------------------
Jaren (21/21)
Lovec (21/28)
Jasmine (17/24)
Barral (13/29)
Riggs (16/23)
Ok attacking then :)
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Rushing in Jasmine finally ends the drake with her greatsword. It's body falls to the ground giving its last few twitches of life before it falls still.
After several minutes the Baroness and her son approach and begin to wholeheartedly thank you once again for your aid when she is cut of by a thunderous roar unlike any other that shatters through the night. The survivors look to the east in fear as a vast shape crawls up onto the roof of Otho Burr's House, just east of the amphitheater. This is an enormous Black Dragon but its scales are ragged and graying, its eyes are sightless, its muscles are exposed beneath torn flesh, and the smell of rot is nearly overpowering.
“I am Aeteperax, Lord of Dragonfen, and you have exhausted my patience. The wizard Hunclay promised me many things before his death, including five rare and ancient tomes. I made efforts to obtain these lawfully, but my representative, Clausyre, failed me. My forbearance is at an end.
“Now I require not only the books, including the tome entitled Secrets of the Dreaming Dark, but also an indemnity of 776,000 gold pieces—2,000 for each and every resident of this dunghill you call home. “I give you two weeks to deliver these to the place you know as the Monastery of Saint Kyerixus across the Dragonfen.
“None are permitted to leave Belhaim—my minions blanket the countryside, and all who dare leave this town shall suffer for it. Only those chosen to deliver my ransom may travel, and then only into Dragonfen. “Should you defy me or fail to satisfy my demands, I shall lay waste to little Belhaim and kill every living inhabitant, down to the last mewling infant.”
With that, the dragon rises up, casts a spell, and vanishes, apparently teleporting away. Silence reigns for a moment, then panic strikes and the survivors flee back to their homes.
Jaren (21/21)
Lovec (21/28)
Jasmine (17/24)
Barral (13/29)
Riggs (16/23)
Know. Arcana
"Did the rest of you notice that dragon was undead? Who is powerful enough to animate such a great beast?". Riggs turns to face the mayor of town. "I suppose you don't have the whole ransom? Anyone here ever dealt with this beast before?"
Jaren growls at the empty space the dragon once filled.
Nevermimd who animated it, who in the nine hells does that dragon think it is, holding an entire town ransom because of one very decisionally impaired wizard?
He hefts his spear, and starts looking for the Baroness if she fled.
We need to make a plan. I doubt there is enough gold in the entire city to pay that. Even if there were, I doubt he'd be satisfied anyway.
"That is odd. Why would the wizard make a deal with an undead dragon? Unless that display was just a front. Could be we're not dealing with a dragon at all. Still, best not to take any chances."
"I agree with Jaren. I don't think paying the ransom is going to make this go away. Anybody know who this Clausyre character is? Fellow in the red felt hat, right? Maybe he could tell us something about his 'employer'."
"Which brings up another thought. A real dragon would have easily been able to provide funds to beat any of the bids for the books he was after. So either we're dealing with someone other than a dragon, or this one is just particularly stingy."
"I tend to agree with Lovec" Jasmine says thoughtfully. "It makes no sense for a powerful necromancer to somehow manage to resurrect a powerful undead dragon and then let the dragon independently let it do whatever it likes. Best to tread carefully I think by assuming that its a dragon but keep an open mind until we know more".
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In the aftermath of the dragon’s appearance, the auction’s final sale is put on indefinite hold. Baroness Origena sends word out to several locals including yourselves whose advice she values— Sheriff Benhovy, local stabler and former adventurer Lezara Dodgion, Abadaran priestess Eupaphenia Targas, and Bassy the historian—to return with her to her manor home for a meeting.
The meeting takes place in a cozy dining room at Devy Manor. The baroness doesn’t waste time, and asks Eupaphenia what Belhaim could scrape together by pooling all its resources. Her answer of approximately 20,000 gp doesn’t surprise the baroness. Even if every sale for the auction were immediately settled, it would be unlikely to bring the total up to even 100,000 gp. There’s just no way Belhaim can pay the dragon’s demand of 776,000 gp.
The baroness opens the meeting to suggestions. Sheriff Benhovy mutters that if they “send out a few of those Shelyn layabouts to distract the dragon for the good of the town, maybe he’ll lower the ransom,”—a suggestion met with derision and shock by the others at the meeting. Frustrated, he then suggests sending out messages via raven to several larger (but distant) towns for aid. Lezara pushes to have the town evacuated. Eupaphenia suggests sending a delegate to speak to the dragon about paying in installments. None of these suggestions appeases the group as a whole as everyone argues and can't seem to come to a clear consensus.
Jaren brings the butt if his spear down on the floor and then waits until everyone is quiet. He then speaks softly.
You're forgetting another option here. We could send out a group of trained warriors and kill the damned thing. Even a dragon will fall to the combined might of many warriors. Undead or not. I'm sure we can find some overzealous clerics and paladins who would love the opportunity, if we were able to spread the message.
"I think trying to leave would be a bad idea. It clearly knows enough about town to tell if we try to run and if it has more drakes, we would be sitting ducks. Maybe we could set up an ambush for it or something."
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The Baroness sighs. Two weeks isn't nearly enough time to send out word looking for volunteers to go slay a dragon! Let alone someone in this town wanting to do it.
She seems to think for a moment and looks to Jaren.
“I can’t offer a monetary reward sufficient to lure you into undertaking so deadly a mission. However, I must ask: Will you slay this dragon for Belhaim? If you succeed, I shall raise each of you to the rank of Knight of Taldor. Little Belhaim and its inhabitants are lost if you don’t prevail. What say you?”
"How did I know that request was coming? I dont know how we refuse since apparently, if we leave town we get killed by the dragon's forces. "