Pushing himself further, Ezro surges with a mythic power, his weapon glowing now with a holy energy as he attacks the demonic looking creature. He strikes true with on blow.
Quinn's anger as the woman vanishes is absolved as he endures more punishment from the creature. The demon was too close to Alikia to step by. Before he can retaliate, though, his allies had put the creature down.
Between Ezro and Aladir, they finish off the beast. As it dies, Alikia and Ezro notice that the beast fades away in a similar fashion as summoned creatures do when they die or their time on the mortal plane is over.
When the beast fades the entire structure suddenly begins to shake and vibrate, and light and energy coruscates over the walls and statues in the complex. As you stand in amazement and watch, the defiled structure reverts; its wall carvings and statues regain their original appearance before the fall of Sarkoris. Ezro glows with this same energy, and he shrinks to his original size and falls to his knees, as he alone can see the agents of Iomedea as they move about the fane, reworking the statues and carvings.
After everything is restored, one of the minions, now visible to all, appears before Ezro, "thank you blessed one, for cleansing the shrine, and allowing us to restore it to its glory." The creature then disappears and a new creature, in the image of Iomedea, but not the goddess, perhaps an avatar appears, holding a flaming sword and touching Ezro on the shoulder, "greetings blessed one from the goddess. It has fallen to me to give you the happy news, that you, oh mortal, are a child of Iomedea. Go forth with this knowledge, and complete the tasks assigned to you and your companions." With this proclamation, the avatar disappears and all is quite in the temple.
"What?" Ezro blinks.
Ezro looks around for the herald that disappeared, before yelling out into the empty fane, "Wait what?! That is my other half?! WHAT?!"
Hyram nods grimly as the shrine is transformed to its original condition. As it should be! he utters.
Aladir gives Ezro a light punch on the back of his shoulder. "You're just full of surprises, my friend!"
"Fascinating." Alikia mutters to herself as she observes the temple magically restored by invisible hands. As some sort of phantasm appears before the group, her eyebrows rise in shock. "Huh, I wonder what implications this has to doctrine?"
Quinn looks around uncertainly as dozens of unseen hands begin putting the temple back to rights around him. He laughs unconsciously as he dances an unbalanced two-step away from a flurry of invisible activity at the statuary to his side. "Your doing?" he asks Alikia as the proxy for the Lady makes her sudden appearance.
Quinn can only stand, mouth agape, as the pronouncement is delivered. "A child of the Lady..." he mouths as a vine of envy winds its way around his heart. Then the full implications crash down upon him and that vine withers quickly. "I do not envy you burden!
Ezro shakes his head, "Aye, that is why I would preffer it not be known. I am a priest of the Inheritor. Nothing more. I would rather not have to explain that I am half-elf half-god..."
Ezro nods again, and looks to the rest a slight uncomfortable smile on his face, "A simple priest my friends, nothing more."
"I can't say I would feel any differently if I were in that situation...so, if you'd rather it not be known, then I don't think any of us would dishonor that wish."
"And now that we've got this area nice and clean of evil, we've got a good place to rest and recover before we go to take on that dragon we've heard about. Sound like a plan?" he asks, looking around at everyone.
Letting out a sigh of relief at the mention of resting, Alikia drops her bag to the ground with a satisfying thump. "I like the sound of rest; Hopefully no one else will discover earth shattering revelations about their parents." Letting out a nervous titter, Alikia pulls out another tomb from her pack depicting several archaic symbols and begins to read.
Having cleared out the fane, and seeing it restored to the glory of Iomedea, you decide to rest for the night to regain health and spells. Searching the fane, there are several things that are worthwhile. The magical glaives of the templars , enough food and water to last six people about a month. And finally there are some documents that reference the location of the Ivory Sanctum as being “within what remains of the Greengates, beyond Vang’s illusory wall.”
Moving south of the fane, towards where you suspect the wyrm is, you pass thru some rather rocky terrain with hills and low mountains, more rocky and much more difficult to travel. Several times during this time you see a massive draconic creature that is covered in purple-hued scales and sharp, spiky protrusions, flying overhead.
Well! Looks like we found the woundwrym. Any protections from acid would be helpful and make sure you have your lawful and good weapons!
"Lawful AND good? That's gonna be difficult to swing. The Terendelev's scale can be used to do one or the other, but not both at the same time. Does anyone have a spell that can handle the other?"
I can cast align weapon five times that will last for ten minutes. Hyram offers.
"Remember we may take some time to prepare. Perhaps now that we have an understanding of it and where it is, perhaps take tonight to prepare and hit it in the morning. I have several blessings that could be of benefit, but I must beseech Iomedea...mom? Whatever...for them. this is going to be weird now..." Ezro says somewhat incredulously, making a slightly uncomfortable face.
"I'd be fine with backing out and coming back when we're better prepared for a threat of this magnitude."
Studying the flying creature, Alikia ponders their options for a moment. "Another option is always to try and support Quinn while he calls down Iomedae's divine judgement. After all this thing is a dragon, and it is very much evil, which seems to be ripe for the smiting."
You watched as the wyrm landed near a cave opening and went in. Searching nearby you find lots of unoccupied caves, as the hills in this area are pockmarked with caves. Entering one to rest for the night and prepare, you have a decision to make.
You can either continue on and take on this wyrm, or you can continue to look for the escaped prisoner that was once evil, but now appears to be a worshiper of Desna, or move on to find the Ivory Sanctum, and the temple to Baphomet.
Quinn comes out of his lengthy state of solemnity to finally comment. "This is a dangerous creature. But, this would be a devastating blow to the enemy. We should be fully prepared for battle in the morning."
Aye! Let's take care of this menace!
Ezro looks between everyone with slight confusion, "So..we are fighting now, or waiting for the morning? My friend Quinn, you are giving somewhat mixed signals..."
Alikia takes a moment to stretch before following the others. "Most of my spells will have to be cast as we spring a trap upon it. I could shield us with a sphere of invisibility and possibly help shield us from the creature's breath attack; It uses acid by the way."
"Hyram, what form does the dragon's acid breath take? Aren't there some that breath in a fairly straight line and others that breath in a more cone-shape?"
"Either way, I think the acid resistance would be fantastic, and the invisibility is a good idea at the beginning. I'm not sure if we need to keep a distance from each other so it can't target more than one of us at once or if we need to stay together so we can better help each other, though."
Deciding that you are ready as is, and hoping that the dragon is going to stay in its cave, rather than wait till the morrow and not be sure that it is there, you move closer to the opening that the creature entered. Finding a spot only moments away from the cave opening, you cast spells in preparation for battle. As you move forward into the opening, Quinn, with his demonic heritage, and Alikia with her arcane roots sense that there are unstable planar chaotic rifts in the cave, including one across the entrance that you will have to pass thru in order to enter.
Once everyone is invisable, Hyram will step through the anti-magic rift.
Quinn goes through a brief recitation, summoning a ally of the Inheritor.
At the nod from the others, Quinn follows Hyram into the rift.
Ezro readies himself for the trial ahead and provides a brief prayer to Iomedea.
Dispel +15 each
Aladir, Alikia, Ezro, Hyram, Quinn
Having cast all the spells, in preparation for the dragon, finally Alikia casts invisibility sphere and the group. With Quinn and Hyram leading the way into the cavern, they first pass thru the chaotic planar rift. As they enter the rift, the lantern archon that Quinn called winks out and disappears, and Quinn realizes that it has been returned to its native plane. Both Quinn and Hyram feel that they were targeted by a dispelling affect from the rift, but it was not enough to dispel any of the spells on themselves or their equipment.
It is not attempted dispel, however, that is the worst affect from the rift, but both Quinn and Hyram disappear from sight, and find themselves in the northeast portion of the cavern, no longer invisible. Looking around they see a massive, eyeless draconic creature covered in purple-hued scales and sharp, spiky protrusions. It sniffs the air, and seems to sense the presence of the two, "ah, human and demon flesh. I have not had such treats in a long time. Come morsels, meet your doom."
The dragon moves up slightly and casts a spell at Hyram, "you would look better as a mouse."
Hyram laughs at the dragon, And you would look better dead, let's see who gets their wish!
Hyram says in a pronouncement of judgment on the dragon. as he moves up to the dragon. His aim is off and he misses.
Sensing Hyram and Quinn leaving the invisibility sphere, Alikia turns to where she remembers the others being. "Quickly, through the portal! We must make haste if we are to catch the beast by any semblance of surprise!" Alikia pleads, waiting to feel Aladir and Ezro move forward before stepping through the vortex herself.
With his companions not just invisible but also not there, Aladir follows Alikia's advice and dashes through the portal with his bow at the ready and his last two holy arrows close at hand.
An assortment of assaults blasts Quinn and Hyram as they step through the rift, ending with the pair suddenly in front of the woundwyrm. Quinn recovers his wits as Hyram declares his intent. "Most of you abominations want to converse endlessly," Quinn says as he steps forward. Golden light explodes from the paladin, "I'm glad we're skipping that step today..."
vs AC 24 Quinn
Aladir, Alikia and Ezro seeing that their companions are no longer in front of them, rush thru the chaotic planar barrier at the entrance to the cavern, and like Hyram and Quinn, end up in differing portions of the cave. Aladir and Ezro are now visible and in the western area, while Alikia, still invisible is now in the southern portion.
Hyram shrugs off the spell as he laughs at the dragon, moves up and pronounces judgement on it, but resisting the spell thru his swing off and he misses the creature. Quinn, glad that the creature is not polluting the air with words, charges and hits it hard.
The dragon in pain from the blow, turns all its anger at the paladin, attacking him with everything it has and damaging Quinn severely. Seeing him damaged, the wyrm snickers, "Too much damage, your meat will spoil, so next time I just eat you!"
With little other option to get him to fighting range, Aladir rushes forward as swiftly as he can, finally invoking his mythic power to get him the last short distance around the wall of the cavern to be in sight of the others, firing off a shot as he spots the dragon!
Looking around himself briefly to try and orient his surroundings, Ezro looks over to Quinn and Hyram just in time to see Quinn assaulted by the dragon. Cursing the distance, he begins trying to rush towards them.
"Hold on Quinn and Hyram! I will be there soon!"
One judgment is not enough for you! I call a second one upon you! .
Hyram says as he swings his sword again, but misses.
Upon hearing Hyram and Quinn shouting, Alikia lets out a string of curses as she taps into her knowledge of the small portals between the planes to re-emerge around a corner. Assessing the situation, Alikia massages her temples as the soft whispers of a migraine begin to set in.