The heroes of Belhaim recover at the inn from the action at the auction before heading to the meeting later the next day.
In addition to the baroness, Sheriff Benhovy, Priestess of Abadar Eupaphenia Targas, and Bassy are present. Another woman, Lezara Dodgion, arrives last. "Eupaphenia? What can the town get together?" Lady Devy asks immediately.
"Perhaps twenty thousand. Maybe one hundred thousand once the auction accounts are settled. Far short of the seven hundred-"
The priestess is interrupted by the Sheriff, "Just give 'em some of those lazy Shelyn layabouts. Maybe the dragon will lower the ransom." The meeting explodes into angry swearing at Benhovy. "No, I know, I ain't serious."
"We must evacuate somehow, Lady Devy," Lezara says with a grim face. "We can find a way to sneak everyone out covertly." There is some cross-talk about this idea.
When things cool down Eupaphenia suggests negotiating a payment plan. This idea is generally considered more of a delaying tactic, because as the Sheriff points out, it could take a thousand years to pay off that sort of debt.
"What other options do we have then? We can't pay, if we attempt to run we may be attacked." The Baroness sighs.
Considering what he knows about dragons, Spitter will jump in here and get the group's attention.
"Don't get me wrong about this pink-skins, but I don't think the money is what he's after...not really. Yes! He's a dragon, and gold is always...ALWAYS...good for what ails any dragon, but I think its those books he mentioned are what he wants in the end. A dragon like this isn't stupid. He even tried BUYING the books! Think about that. If we don't have the books, the amount of money he wants is merely his ego being assuaged. Yes? He's just looking for an excuse to trash this place and try to find those books he wants in the end...probably worried he might damage them in the process too. A payment plan...might intrigue him! Delay yes...but also get us closer to him too: A sneak attack! Once we verify the dragon is or is not in his grave, then send us to negotiate with him or his lackeys. Then we run a rock-eater spear through his guts...whatever and wherever he is."
"Master Spitter proposes my solution exactly," It is the first time Bassy has spoken for the whole meeting. "Let's just kill him."
There is a heavy silence. Lady Devy stares at Spitter a long moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She folds her hands and stares at them for a moment before finally looking up at those she has come to rely on so much in the last few weeks. "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 it's inhabitants are lost if you don't prevail. What say you?"
Spitter considers the offer for only a moment before replying, pointing a small claw at the Lady.
"Such an offer is not...little for such as my kind. But I would not wish to harm your standing among other pink-skins Lady-lord Belhaim by forcing you to make a scaled-kind a 'Knight.' Simply give me a full portion of the Dragon's treasure, and I will continue with this plan if my companions do so too."
Wilfried chuckles slightly, smiling and shaking his head.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you Little Dragon. Good Lady Bassy I need no incentive. You have just answered Our Lord in Iron's first question. You WILL fight. And I for one will be at your side."
"I'm not sure anyone's ever brought in a bounty on a dragon before. I'm in."
"Can you tell me what will happen to Chance's blacksmith shop? I want it. At the very least, there may be equipment to assist us with this endeavor. It couldn't help to look anyway."
Renliat takes longer than the others to answer, looking to be deep in thought. After the others have spoken and looks start to wander towards him, he rubs the bridge of his nose in thought. "It is an unavoidable danger, best to handle it proactively. Perhaps it is with negotiation, perhaps violence, to our deaths or his, but it is not a problem that can be fled."
Leng scratches his nose, then shrugs.
"Sure."
The sheriff tells Pavo, "Heh. We haven't figured out what we will be doing with the shop just yet, but whatever we confiscated from his corpse that you can make use of is yours."
"So long as you are engaged in this quest for us," the Abadaran priestess says, "All spellcasting at our temple is gratis."
The Baroness removes one of her rings and sets it down. "This will grant some magical protection."
Lezara says, "I have something that would help as well, I will be right back."
"Since we're all giving away gifts," Bassy says as the human woman rushes out. She takes off a leather thong she wore beneath her shirt. Hanging from it is a large iron key. "This is the key to Lady Tula's crypt. If you're going to check the dragon's bones, her crypt is right next door. She and her strongest slayers were buried with powerful weapons and armor in case the dragons infested the swamps in the future."
When Lezara returns she has a kusarigama in her hands. It looks to be scorched black. "With this I slew a great ice demon. I do not know how it will fare against a dragon, but I'm guessing it will help."
Grabbing the key from Bassey gently, Spitter's eyes gleam with greed.
"Crypt? Powerful weapons? Treasure?"
"Probably traps and guardians of some sort as well," Bassy says with a grin and reminiscing glint in her eyes.
"How far is this crypt? We are working against a DEAD-line after all. Although I'm not fond of swamps, but I think it should be our first destination."Says the Dwarf.
Spitter shakes his head, smiles, and points at the dwarf.
"I can handle the swamp, as long as you can keep us alive until we get to our destination rock-eater. Do rock-eaters float? Anyway, we can send a message to the dragon...and pass on our wish to negotiate payments and request more time. There is no way he will deny the possible monetary gains he might scratch out of such an agreement. My people's history is filled with stories of dragons that extorted treasures for decades before...such agreements were terminated in one form or another."
"One would think they wouldn't, given the density of rocks."
Leng accepts the scorched kusarigama reverently, then bows deeply to Lazara. "I never expected to see such as this," he says. "Truly a rare and wonderful gift. I only hope that I am equal to the task set before us, so that I may be worthy of your trust."
"Heh," grunts the sheriff. "We do too."
It takes hours to travel the ever-disintegrating path through the swamp. Eventually the group turns north on a long sunken road to Tula's Crypt. A large clearing with a few solid hills lies at the end of the barely visible road. There are a few thick stands of trees and a few odd boulders, but generally the clearing is open.
Upon arrival the first thing that they see is that the dead dragon's bleached bones remain where they fell. The vines and creepers growing around the skeleton form a sort of plant-dragon sculpture, as though it were a topiary frame. Partially concealed beneath Aeteperax is a burial mound with a massive stone door and ancient, but obviously complex lock.
Renliat begins to look around, but quickly the hairs on the back of his neck rise. "In the skull!" He shouts. He waves a hand over his chest, the air shimmering for a moment.
Spitter grips his small staff tightly with his claws, raising it defensively at Renliat's note of warning.
"What? Where leaf-eater? Skull? Is it moving?"
Wilfried regales the party with graphically colorful tales of battles in which he took part.
Upon seeing the dragon skeleton. "Oh what a fight it must have been."
"Ready yourselves"
He steps in front of the others and raises his weapon.
Catching the movement and hearing the warnings, Pavo stepped forward to match the dwarf's stance and drew his trident.
"Don't know what yet, but something is in there.'
A horrid mass of flesh spills out of the dragon's skull heading slowly towards the heroes. Eyes and chattering teeth cover the mottled-flesh of the oozing form. It speaks nonsense syllables from all of it's dozens of mouths at the same time, forming an overwhelming wall of confusing sounds.
Pushing the noise from his head for now, Spitter steps away from the others to get a clear view and begins casting a spell at the mass!
Duration 1 round/level; Saving Throw Reflex negates; Spell Resistance yes; DESCRIPTION: A crackling, spherical storm cloud flies in whichever direction you point and deals electricity damage to those it strikes. It has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability. If it enters a space that contains a creature, the storm stops moving for the round and deals 3d6 points of electricity damage to that creature, though a successful Reflex save negates that damage. It provides concealment (20% miss chance) to anything within it, and its flickering light illuminates the same area a candle would. The sphere moves as long as you actively direct it (as a move action for you); otherwise, it stays at rest and crackles with lightning. It can be moved by wind effects and counts as a Small creature for the purpose of determining how winds affect it. The sphere has no physical substance and cannot exert any force on corporeal creatures or objects. It disperses if it exceeds the spell’s range.
Above the gibbering mess a cloud forms with little arcs of electricity in it, then it suddenly plunges down upon the creature!
"It will blind you, and is hurt more by bludgeoning weapons!" Renliat quickly explains to the others. Before it gets into melee Renliat slams it with a quick bolt of cold magic.
"Shut ya yapping." He says to the monster.
Then raises his weapon and says. "Our Lord in Iron, Bless this battle." And steps forward.
Leng seems undisturbed by the oddball gibbering and wailing of the mouth ooze, and instead sets his new kusarigama into a slow motion. Flames trail in its wake as it spins, then lashes out.
Moving rapidly, the monk covers the intervening ground fast enough to lance out with the blunt weighted end of the chain.
... but misses.
Pavo's normal smile was replaced with a look of confusion as his jaw hung down slightly.
"What do we do against that?"
After a quick shake of his head, he stepped forward to stand next to the dwarf and readied his shield.
The weird mass seems unaffected for the moment by the dark cloud storming down on it and slowly trudges forward with snapping teeth threatening Leng while Ren's cold ray causes a nasty frost wound.
Grimacing that his spell didn't seem to hurt the monster, Spitter moves the cloud out of the way and switches things up! Muttering in Draconic, Spitter gestures at the surroundings and waves his small staff menacingly until the swamp's trees and other growth grasp at the creature...suddenly coming alive!
"You're in MY world monster! Let's see you eat your way through that! Pavo! Wake up and HELP! Leng! Back off! There is no telling what that thing's bite can do to you pink-skin!"
Wilfried sets his hand on Pavo's shoulder and says.
"Blessing of destruction upon you."
Then moves toward the creature.
Leng dances backward and lashes out with his chain again.
Nothing new, though.
Renliat moves forward and aims carefully, blasting the creature with a wave of fire!
Pavo's head hurt, even more than usual. The voices echoed through his head and he couldn't separate out the real ones and the imaginary ones. Those of friend verses those of foe. In an act of desperation, he stabbed out with his trident, not intentionally aiming for anyone, just oddly hoping to silence the noise.
The creature's strange amorphous nature makes it easy for the gibbering mouther to avoid the grasping vines from Spitter's magic, however the Ren's flames scorch the bizarre alien. A half-dozen of it's drooling mouths collectively spew forth a stream of caustic stomach fluids at Leng.
Leng sighs as he is predictably blinded.
"Our Lord in Iron grant me your gauntlet of power. Says the Dwarf as he moves forward.
A shimmering spiked gauntlet appears beside the monster and slams into into it
Hissing, Spitter gestures again and the mass of electrified cloud flies down and hits the thing gain!
He then points at the monster. [Free Action]
"The master of wind and storm speaks now! Gozreh does not abide abominations!"
[Standard Action]
Pavo was content to let the casters pummel the thing. He stepped forward and took up a defensive position, interposing himself between the creature and Leng.
Renliat repositions himself around the others. Normally he would pull off the gas a little at this point, but with Leng blind he chooses to continue pouring the pain on. Another blast of fire erupts into the creature!
Pavo moves to protect Leng as he tries to clear the foul burning spit from his eyes. A magical onslaught sends the creature reeling as it is battered, electrocuted with lightning, and then finally incinerated. The mouths cease their chattering and most of the eyes close as the bizarre monster slowly dies from the magical wounds.
Moving to fallen creature Wilfried pokes the bloated mass with his weapon. Turning to the party.
"Is anyone injured? Do you need aid?"
"I am unharmed. And from what I know of the creature, Leng's blindness is temporary." Still he moves to the monk's side and takes out some alchemical solvents to help clear his vision.
"I'm fine, but that noise was horrible. Wasted a lot of good magic on the cursed thing."
Spitter then uses his cloud of lighting to scour the creature to make sure it is dead and help its decomposition, then has it fly around the Dragons's skull ahead to make sure nothing else is hiding in it or around it. He then let's it dissipate normally.
"That looks like a real Dragon skull to me. Immense. Black-scale."