"Nay-you did not... this time. Save them for when you do take damage and Kinn or I are unavailable."
As Kinn moves purposefully through the exquisitely sculptured grounds — manicured lawns, well-trimmed trees, and a serene reflecting pool up ahead lend a peaceful air to the area — the party follows, with Valgrim purposefully remaining between the half-elf and the ifrit in an effort to disperse the tension. As the group moves silently toward the courtyard, a bell chimes from the belfry tower, five times.
Ahead in the courtyard you can see the top of a single sycamore tree.
"Logic suggests they know we are here and that we number 5 pax. This should get interesting pretty soon. Now is not the time to wander off half cocked. Keep the fight to the front and if they attack us then let no one live."
[dice=Perception]d20+9
"It's not the hour of five. I don't know why that bell rang, but I know it's not 5."
"There was a dark-skinned woman in that bell-tower, just now. She's seen us coming! Should we hurry, or is there no point anymore?"
"Then let us make haste through here least we be surrounded by more guards"
As the party debates a little, a tired-looking man peers through the opening from the courtyard with the sycamore tree.
[spoiler=DC 15 Perception]The man wears a red hat with a blue feather, the hat that was worn by Clausyre at the auction.
He looks the party over, then comes out from behind the wall. I had a feeling you lot would be the ones coming here. Did the baroness manage it? Have you brought the ransom? I pray the beast will be satisfied — my wife's life depends on it!
Valgrim listens intently as he tries to see if the man is spinning a tale...
What do you mean? the man asks. No, you see, Lord Aeterperex is holding my wife and our unborn child hostage — in order to assure their safety, I am to act as the dragon's agent, am supposed to deliver the money to him. He licks his dry lips, clearly nervous and worried. Tell me you have it!
"Oh, my dear man, I do worry that your wife and unborn are already dead. The dragon has no reason to honor any arrangement with you, you know?"
What? No, no, he...Lord Aeterperex has offered me...he said, "if Azmur Kell serves me well, his family will be spared"...he said...
"My friend, dragons have no interest in the lives of us mortals, other than to use us as pawns. Your wife is in grave danger, and we can help. Tell us anything that may help us save her."
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They speak the truth. At the end of the day, I want to get your family bad. I do. But I want them alive, and I don't think the dragon can be trusted. "Sparing" them might simply mean a quick death before he returns the bodies."[/b]
Mordenaar isn't aware of the emotional stress his reasoning might induce
Azmur's eyes dart across the faces of the party one by one, then his jaw drops, aghast. You...you don't have the ransom, do you?
"Not with us friend. But first please tell us everything you can of the dragons forces and defenses as we figure out how to help you."
The man nearly sputters at a loss for words before he finally explodes. Are you mad? The beast is enormous! You have neither the skill nor the numbers to face a dragon of his size — all you'll accomplish is an agonizing death, and then Lord Aeteperax will raze Belhaim to the ground!
"Come friend. Now is the time to put forth an effort to rid yourself of the dragons shackles and we are here to help. This opportunity may not come around again." Valgrim says to the man.
But I've seen it! Azmur says with growing desperation. Lord Aeteperax will swat you down like flies, and devour my beloved Rima, and destroy Belhaim in rapid succession! He buries his head in his hands. Oh, this is madness! Why should I believe you have the ability to take the dragon down?
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Kinn stares at the man a long moment, then let's out a long, ringing laugh. "You've seen it? I've seen it, too. And I know, "Lord Aeterperax" is no mammoth black dragon. You have been tricked, forced to do the bidding of some greedy illusionist. Come, let us speak no more of a dragon. Tell us of this compound, and where your family may be found."
"Heed the holy mans words. You have been taken for a fool by this Lord Aeterperax." Valgrim says supporting Kinn's conversation with the man.
Azmur looks at Kinn and Valgrim a long moment before answering. Lord Aeterperax is green, not black. And I have felt his breath on my face as it laughed at me, clutching my Rima. I assure you, he is very much real.
Mordenaar's words about Tula's arms seems to give him some pause. He marvels at the blade the half-elf bears, at Valgrim's dragonbane arrows, and at the maximize rod Achmed carries. After a moment that seems like an eternity, Azmur sighs heavily and nods. Fine, fine! I'll help you. But if it costs my wife and unborn child their lives, a dragon's wrath will be nothing compared to mine!
He looks about, casting a wary eye up toward the belfry, and then silently motions you toward a door within the courtyard, leading you through it and a pair of double doors to its west into a shrine of sorts, narrow pillars painted blue and gold supporting the ceiling. At its west end is a large statue in a mother-of-pearl-lined niche. The sculpted figure sits in the lotus position, hands clasped and eyes closed in prayer.
We can talk more freely here, he says, with some relief. I am Azmur Kell, druid from the village of Belhaim.
I know you have been to my hometown, as I recall seeing you at the auction for the late Hunclay's goods. Who are you?
"And I am Endar, seafaring charmer and all-around great guy, a wanderer like my friend Kinn here. Thank you for recognizing that we are opposing the same enemy in this." Endar bows and winks.
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Subterfuge, I assure you, Azmur says, relaxing a bit. Lord Aeteperax is green, but saw much to gain from presenting the illusion of an ancient black to the people of Belhaim, to let the simple folk draw their own conclusions.
He ambushed us one morning as we were leaving the area, grabbing up my beloved Rima and flying off. I tracked him to the monastery, where I was surrounded and captured by his lieutenants. Lord Aeteperax demanded that I serve the dragon's whims and needs for the following year, at the end of which my wife and child would be returned unharmed. He shakes his head. Obviously I had little choice.
Your arrival with the blessing of Lady Tula gives me some hope, however. I will help you as best I can.
In his time here as the dragon's hostage, Azmur has spent weeks studying old journals and tomes he discovered in rooms throughout the monastery. The monks here were tinkering with knowledge about the Dark Tapestry, a subject with which Lord Aeteperax is obsessed. Azmur believes that's the reason he came to this region — to learn what dark secrets the monks discovered.
Yet the first time they used the Window, the malevolent alien they contacted teleported into the monastery and attacked the priests. Abbot Kanjougas, head of the monastery, banished the alien back to the Dark Tapestry, but not before it slaughtered the monastery's other inhabitants. Azmur hasn't been able to determine what became of the abbot afterward, but he knows the event took place over 200 years ago.
The room is locked tightly — the dragon uses a potion of gaseous form brewed for him by his pet alchemist Pentosh to get in — but Azmur knows from his research that the abbot carried the key to the room, so if his body still lies hidden somewhere in this monastery, the key should be nearby.
Azmur knows the dragon can conjure grioths only because the Dark Window maintains the connection between this part of Dragonfen and the Dark Tapestry. Finding a way to close the Dark Window should not only remove the dragon's ability to conjure aid in a battle, but also end his control over the grioths already conjured. Those in his lair will likely attack the dragon in anger, perhaps weakening him.
Azmur believes that even a brief disruption from a successful dispel magic spell should be enough to undo the dragon's work, at least for a time. Beyond this, his research has shown him that force effects should be able to disrupt the window, but only if they can somehow be enhanced before being unleashed upon the Dark Window. Hopefully, he muses, studying the window will provide some clues. When the time comes, I can aid you in that matter if you need help.
I may be able to lend a hand here and there, if it's needed, Azmur says. Yet I can't be seen doing so, you understand. I can't switch sides while Rima is still captive. But subtly, maybe.
Azmur scratches his bearded chin a momment, pausing in thought. I intend to stay mobile in the coming days, but if you need to contact me, throw a handful of dead leaves into the reflecting pool in the monastery's grounds as a signal. He manages a weak smile. If I can, I'll meet you here within an hour of seeing the signal to offer what aid I can.
Take some time exploring the monastery, Azmur concludes. There are parts of it the dragon's agents haven't yet explored, and they could contain useful magical weapons or objects to aid you in your coming confrontation.
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"I want to close this window, let his fodder turn on him. It is a win-win for us if we can pull it off. Since it'll be the last straw, we do that last. I'm certainly no magic expert, so I defer to you lot. Achmed? I hate those grioths. I hate the way they fight. The other two lieutenants are more my speed, especially if we can convince one of his lackeys to give us his True Name."
Ready to systematically explore the monastery.
"So then... a green dragon youngling... and we need to find one of the Lieutenants to determine the dragons true name... and find an alternate manner in which to gain entry to its lair... hmmmm... difficult indeed" Valgrim mutters after listening to all the information.
Endar and Compy follow Kinn.