The Knot headed back through the empty halls of the first floor residency to search the secret door in the King's personal bed chamber.
Past trap and look they found a massive stone room below. It was outside the protective forbiddance magic of the rest of the keep. And a large ornate door leading deeper into the underground bunker. The way to the teleportation sanctum of the king was near at hand.
Quell checks the door and finds a trap he deftly disables and notes the door is warm to the touch. Some of the Knot stays up above, looking down the trap door as Quell opens the door with Yvainne supporting him.
Beyond is another stone room, but part of it's corner has been melted down to bedrock by a pool of lava. Standing out of it is an Azata, an outsider of fire & earth. Quell remembered the request of the contract devil Dessiter. "Within the Adarium lies a foe you must kill, an Azata named Bridgett..."
The Knot hesitated but the Azata waisted no time.
As the Knot creeped forward, many having to drop down the trap door first, they were greeted by summoned lava elementals. Irfan the assassin still with them, but reluctant to charge ahead against creatures he couldn't sneak attack.
Arcs of magic clash above the heads of combatants as the Knot finally rallied & surged forward into the room.
The lady of lava ducked down into her pool to heal her wounds as her minions were blasted away.
The Knot realized the issue of her unfettered access to a lava pool.
As the elemental lady resurfaced she was struck by a roaring wave of hellfire from Wasyli. Drawing on his infernal pact of hell, he stripped her immunity to fire, forcing her out of her lava protection. There, flying above her pool, she was savaged by the Ninth Knot of Hell. They showed her the full fiery fury of hell. Her form finally fell back into the lava pool, burning into ash.
The Knot pushed forward, Quell once again deftly disabling the next trapped door to enter into the next room. And there they found the inner sanctum of the King of Talengarde.
After a brief discussion the Knot opted to stay put and not explore the rest of the Adarium. They were here for one mission and one mission only. Kill the King. They stationed Brother Summit near the trap door exit as the rest of the Knot readied themselves.
After a while they know that Charmaggon had arrived when the whole foundation of the keep shook and dust filtered down onto them. They readied themselves for the coming battle and they were not disappointed. In a few minutes, the room pulsed with some unknown magic before the King & his allies teleport in.
The King's eyes steel as he sees his disgraced former body guard before him. "Emmerick" he hissed as the Knot launched their surprise attack.
The King's inquisitor fell before he could even lay a blow. And many knights staggered under a reign of magic and steel as well.
By the time the King's company could put up a proper defense they were only a fraction of their original number. The King still showed good form, he managed to block a ray of dimensional anchor with his shield & he relentlessly dogged Yvainne, trying to disrupt her spellcasting. Irfan the assassin readied to strike, only to be blinded by the holy word of the King's priest before the priest was hacked down.
But still, his allies staggered and fell one by one until only the King was standing, shrugging off blows as he tried to wear down the Knot.
But eventually, a well placed blast of destruction from Mardus transformed the Monarch of Talegarde into ash.
And the Ninth Knot of Thorns finished what would likely be their last mission for their master.
With the building still shacking from above, a brief argument ensued. As Mardus stripped corpses of the dead & dragging their bodies into the room of lava to be "disposed of" Quell & Brother Summit argued.
Brother Summit urged action. "Why have any doubt, let us act now! Aid the black dragon, bring low Talengarde. Destroy the Princess and vanquish the Sons of Balentyne."
Quell argued caution. "Our mission was to kill the King. We have done it. The dragon might not look on us with joy. Why get in the way of his feasting. Besides some of us have already died on fools errands."
After finishing their discussion, all while the building shook, the Knot decided to say put over Brother Summit's objections. Though, using divine magic, Mardus did look on the fighting going above by using his fire oracle powers to view out from the flames of torches mounted on nearby guard tower torches.
It was there that they saw Charmaggon charge at the Princess only to be stopped by a lone Paladin. Sir Richard.
And from far below they witnessed the near death of their arch-rival. Until the princess rushed forward to his aid. And she brought down mighty arcane magic, harnessing her mother's draconic power, and savaging the mighty Charmaggon.
They witnessed the destruction of the great worm black dragon by a girl. A girl.
They then saw the rest of the Sons rush in, grab Sir Richard & the Princess before using arcane magic and fleeing.
As the magical sensor fades, Brother Summit turns & glares at the rest of the Knot.
The awkward silence was broken by an unexpected suggestion. "We should grab a scale & resurrect him..."
The rest of the Knot turns in surprise, even Brother Summit's glare disappears as he considers it.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Session 38
Over platters of delicious foods, the Baroness and Knot work up a plan to sneak Yvainne into the palace. A simple late day visit by the Baroness that lasts too late into the night and she along with her guard (Mardus) and handmaiden (Yvainne) will say the night with her in the palace.
While the Knot waits, they spend some more time researching the defenders and powers in the Adarium, with Quell continuing to play the role of the a cook's assistant. And that's when they find out the Sons of Balentyne are guarding the princess in between going on some other no doubt heroic adventures.
The Knot decides to go ahead with their plan and a few days it goes off without a hitch. Yvainne is invited into the keep and spends the night under the roof of the King as the handmaiden of the Baroness.
And two days later, at midnight, the assault begins.
The Knot stealths into the Palace grounds and pick up Quell. Cloaked in an invisibility sphere, stones with silence on them and telepathically linked to communicate, the six Knot members, and the assassin Irfan al-Janbiya use stone shape to create a door into the first floor of the Palace and enter it, sealing it up behind them.
The Knot quickly ransacks the first floor residence of the palace. They make sort work of the handful of traps in the area, finding a secret trap-door and the book Thorn asked them to find, the Libram Darius. Along the way the Knot members tried to ignore the constant internal monologue Emmerick seemed to have with... something else in his head. The rest of the Knot knew something was off with their anti-paladin, now they knew. He talked to himself or... something else.
The Knot pushed on, proceeding through the rest of the first floor, Yvainne reading the book & using her gaseous form to slip into the various guest rooms and they find only one guest saying on the first floor. The court wizard, all alone and asleep. Emmerick decapitated the wizard in his sleep with one swift stroke of Helbrand.
With the first floor of the residence secure, the knot leaves the upstairs and secret trap door alone. And instead head for the exit to block the main Palace door in preparation of the fight to come.
Along the way Yvainne reading about the start of the Darians and their fight with the old line of Kings, the Barcans. And about the origins of Helbrand, the infernal blade Emmerick now wields. Also, how, after the last Barcan King died, his blade, Helbrand, was broken into three pieces. The last missing piece was added to the old throne of Talengarde. Some of the Knot members discussed if the Throne could be the one here. But decided it was likely still in the old throne in the old Palace back in town.
At the exit of the residence the Knot readied and in a rush the busted out into the main foyer of the Palace, taking the handful of knights guarding the doors to the residence by surprise. The guards weren't expecting an attack from inside their warded area. Failing to realize the dire situation, the guards turned & fought the Knot, instead of rushing to the exit to warn the compound. Their mistake may well cost their King his life. It certainly cost them all of theirs, as in a matter of seconds they all lay dead, while the guards outside the keep continued to go unnoticed.
After dragging the corpses of the Knights into an unused armory, the Knot approaches the front door and uses their silence stone to silently bar the main door to the Palace so the guards outside wouldn't notice. They were forgetting the magical forbiddance spell around the keep kept those outside unaware of any noises coming from within.
The Knot almost completed the ground floor foyer when they all turned at the sound of the Librium Darius falling on the floor. They all turned & looked at Yvainne. She looked at her companions and her voice filled their minds via their telepathic bond. "The princess. Her mother. Is a dragon..." They rest of the Knot reviewed the book where it stated Princess Bellinda's mother was in fact a powerful silver dragon, the great wyrm mother of the silver dragon they killed at the Horn of Abaddon.
Mardus made a half-joke saying, "Well, maybe tonight's attack will make her hit her magical, draconic puberty." The joke fell flat as the Knot member shifted in place, contemplating Mardus' comments before resuming their search.
But before long they had something new to deal with. Emmerick felt his sword pulling him up to the throne room above the foyer of the Palace. Apparently the old throne of Talengarde was moved...
Wasyli went first, magically invisible, and hiding in shadows. It still didn't stop him from being spotted by two powerful angels who flanked the empty throne of Talengarde.
Declaring themselves as brothers of Ara Mathra and that they knew the Knot would arrive at the throne the Knot plotted to steal, they stated their desire for something simple. Revenge. Then the two angels drew swords and advanced. Wasyli madly screaming in the minds of all the other Knot members for help.
The forces of heaven and hell clashed in the empty throne room of Talengarde. A battle over the throne of Talengarde that the millions affected by it's outcome would likely never know about.
The two brothers of Ara Mathra struggled to do their brother honor. The Ninth Knot was savage in their assault. A well timed feeblemind from Wasyli, using his Infernal boon crippled one of the angels. And the other got swarmed. Even Irfan even tried to help, though he was blinded by the radiance of the angels and unable to help.
Over and over arcane & divine magic slammed the angels, along with fist and blade with Helbrand drenching itself in angel blood.
The Angels manage to do some damage back, but they, like their brother Ara Mathra, fall before the Ninth Knot. One of them even having it's wings ripped off by the fast blades of Quell & Emmerick.
With victory in hand, Emmerick strode forward. Helbrand dripping blood off it's tip. The anti-paladin stepped over the fallen bodies of the Angels, his boots squishing in pools of angel blood.
He calmly sat down in the Throne of Talengarde, turned and looked at the rest of the Knot, a wicked grin playing on his face. Then it twists into rage as he stands and turns on the Throne, pulling out his adamantine mace. Brother Summit rushes forward, getting out the stone with silence on it as Emmerick savages the throne, indifferent to the noise it makes before it's blanketed in silence.
The rest of the Knot stood in silence as Emmerick turns the throne of Talengarde into rubble. Poking through the remains with his mace, the finds it. The last piece of Helbrand. He picks it up & secures it to his sword and the voice of Helbrand is clear through the Telepathic link to all the Knot.
It is rebuilt, free, intelligent and ready to bring ruin to the Mitrians and raise Asmodeus back to prominence in Talengarde. And it was in the hands of the usurper. The time to kill the King was close at hand.
While the Knot waits, they spend some more time researching the defenders and powers in the Adarium, with Quell continuing to play the role of the a cook's assistant. And that's when they find out the Sons of Balentyne are guarding the princess in between going on some other no doubt heroic adventures.
The Knot decides to go ahead with their plan and a few days it goes off without a hitch. Yvainne is invited into the keep and spends the night under the roof of the King as the handmaiden of the Baroness.
And two days later, at midnight, the assault begins.
The Knot stealths into the Palace grounds and pick up Quell. Cloaked in an invisibility sphere, stones with silence on them and telepathically linked to communicate, the six Knot members, and the assassin Irfan al-Janbiya use stone shape to create a door into the first floor of the Palace and enter it, sealing it up behind them.
The Knot quickly ransacks the first floor residence of the palace. They make sort work of the handful of traps in the area, finding a secret trap-door and the book Thorn asked them to find, the Libram Darius. Along the way the Knot members tried to ignore the constant internal monologue Emmerick seemed to have with... something else in his head. The rest of the Knot knew something was off with their anti-paladin, now they knew. He talked to himself or... something else.
The Knot pushed on, proceeding through the rest of the first floor, Yvainne reading the book & using her gaseous form to slip into the various guest rooms and they find only one guest saying on the first floor. The court wizard, all alone and asleep. Emmerick decapitated the wizard in his sleep with one swift stroke of Helbrand.
With the first floor of the residence secure, the knot leaves the upstairs and secret trap door alone. And instead head for the exit to block the main Palace door in preparation of the fight to come.
Along the way Yvainne reading about the start of the Darians and their fight with the old line of Kings, the Barcans. And about the origins of Helbrand, the infernal blade Emmerick now wields. Also, how, after the last Barcan King died, his blade, Helbrand, was broken into three pieces. The last missing piece was added to the old throne of Talengarde. Some of the Knot members discussed if the Throne could be the one here. But decided it was likely still in the old throne in the old Palace back in town.
At the exit of the residence the Knot readied and in a rush the busted out into the main foyer of the Palace, taking the handful of knights guarding the doors to the residence by surprise. The guards weren't expecting an attack from inside their warded area. Failing to realize the dire situation, the guards turned & fought the Knot, instead of rushing to the exit to warn the compound. Their mistake may well cost their King his life. It certainly cost them all of theirs, as in a matter of seconds they all lay dead, while the guards outside the keep continued to go unnoticed.
After dragging the corpses of the Knights into an unused armory, the Knot approaches the front door and uses their silence stone to silently bar the main door to the Palace so the guards outside wouldn't notice. They were forgetting the magical forbiddance spell around the keep kept those outside unaware of any noises coming from within.
The Knot almost completed the ground floor foyer when they all turned at the sound of the Librium Darius falling on the floor. They all turned & looked at Yvainne. She looked at her companions and her voice filled their minds via their telepathic bond. "The princess. Her mother. Is a dragon..." They rest of the Knot reviewed the book where it stated Princess Bellinda's mother was in fact a powerful silver dragon, the great wyrm mother of the silver dragon they killed at the Horn of Abaddon.
Mardus made a half-joke saying, "Well, maybe tonight's attack will make her hit her magical, draconic puberty." The joke fell flat as the Knot member shifted in place, contemplating Mardus' comments before resuming their search.
But before long they had something new to deal with. Emmerick felt his sword pulling him up to the throne room above the foyer of the Palace. Apparently the old throne of Talengarde was moved...
Wasyli went first, magically invisible, and hiding in shadows. It still didn't stop him from being spotted by two powerful angels who flanked the empty throne of Talengarde.
Declaring themselves as brothers of Ara Mathra and that they knew the Knot would arrive at the throne the Knot plotted to steal, they stated their desire for something simple. Revenge. Then the two angels drew swords and advanced. Wasyli madly screaming in the minds of all the other Knot members for help.
The forces of heaven and hell clashed in the empty throne room of Talengarde. A battle over the throne of Talengarde that the millions affected by it's outcome would likely never know about.
The two brothers of Ara Mathra struggled to do their brother honor. The Ninth Knot was savage in their assault. A well timed feeblemind from Wasyli, using his Infernal boon crippled one of the angels. And the other got swarmed. Even Irfan even tried to help, though he was blinded by the radiance of the angels and unable to help.
Over and over arcane & divine magic slammed the angels, along with fist and blade with Helbrand drenching itself in angel blood.
The Angels manage to do some damage back, but they, like their brother Ara Mathra, fall before the Ninth Knot. One of them even having it's wings ripped off by the fast blades of Quell & Emmerick.
With victory in hand, Emmerick strode forward. Helbrand dripping blood off it's tip. The anti-paladin stepped over the fallen bodies of the Angels, his boots squishing in pools of angel blood.
He calmly sat down in the Throne of Talengarde, turned and looked at the rest of the Knot, a wicked grin playing on his face. Then it twists into rage as he stands and turns on the Throne, pulling out his adamantine mace. Brother Summit rushes forward, getting out the stone with silence on it as Emmerick savages the throne, indifferent to the noise it makes before it's blanketed in silence.
The rest of the Knot stood in silence as Emmerick turns the throne of Talengarde into rubble. Poking through the remains with his mace, the finds it. The last piece of Helbrand. He picks it up & secures it to his sword and the voice of Helbrand is clear through the Telepathic link to all the Knot.
It is rebuilt, free, intelligent and ready to bring ruin to the Mitrians and raise Asmodeus back to prominence in Talengarde. And it was in the hands of the usurper. The time to kill the King was close at hand.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Session 37
The Knot spends the next few moments with the infernal contract devil, questioning him. Trying to get him to reveal who he worked for to no avail. In the end, the Knot reluctantly took his advice. Though they expressed their concern for trading one master for another, they agreed. They would overthrow Cardinal Thorn after they dealt with the King.
After Dessiter returned to Hell, the Knot made a quick inventory of the island's resources.
They did notice one of the oread guards they had temporarily paralyzed in an earlier fight was missing. Yvainne scryed on him, to find the guard waiting in some army camp. Fear descended on the Knot as they realized the Copper Dragon, before he died, had sent a warning to the King. As the Knot panicked to act, they saw two shroud members they had hiding with the King's army sneak up behind the oread and assassinate him. Grabbing a parcel off his dead corpse and fleeing before anyone realized.
The Knot had a group of competent minions... they were moving up in the world.
With the island explored & the immediate loose end dealt with, the Knot rushes off to Charmagon with their copper dragon head in tow.
Their meeting with Charmagon was both scary, brief and rewarding. The massive beast rejoiced at the sight of the head of his adversary. He was so pleased he "gifted" the Knot with his "welp" of a son. Jaratheon Knightsbane howled with displeasure, until his father nearly ripped out his throat. The black dragon fled & cowered from his father behind the Ninth Knot. The great worm rumbled at in 2 weeks, on the night of the new moon, he'd strike the capital. Then he rumbled the Knot leave him & never bother him again. The Knot didn't need to be shown the exit, they quickly managed to get out.
The Knot spent a couple days making the island their own. They were quick to start relocating their minions to their new headquarters. Wasyli catalogued and marveled at the massive volume of books. But they were on a tight deadline so they left it to their minions to prepare the island.
The Knot traveled to the capital. Their minions had already prepared the manor house, whose deed they had "acquired" in the ruins of Daveryn.
Settling in, the Knot quickly gets the lay of the land in the City. They find some conflicting rumors about the Princess, but they focus more on how to get Yvainne an invite into the King's Palace.
She managed to con her way into an invite into the servants out-building. But realizes she'll be unable to do an actual servants job during the day, without bursting into flames. Quell though managed to land a job as a Cook's assistant and start to gather information about the residents of the keep. But not actual entrance into the main keep.
After Dessiter returned to Hell, the Knot made a quick inventory of the island's resources.
They did notice one of the oread guards they had temporarily paralyzed in an earlier fight was missing. Yvainne scryed on him, to find the guard waiting in some army camp. Fear descended on the Knot as they realized the Copper Dragon, before he died, had sent a warning to the King. As the Knot panicked to act, they saw two shroud members they had hiding with the King's army sneak up behind the oread and assassinate him. Grabbing a parcel off his dead corpse and fleeing before anyone realized.
The Knot had a group of competent minions... they were moving up in the world.
With the island explored & the immediate loose end dealt with, the Knot rushes off to Charmagon with their copper dragon head in tow.
Their meeting with Charmagon was both scary, brief and rewarding. The massive beast rejoiced at the sight of the head of his adversary. He was so pleased he "gifted" the Knot with his "welp" of a son. Jaratheon Knightsbane howled with displeasure, until his father nearly ripped out his throat. The black dragon fled & cowered from his father behind the Ninth Knot. The great worm rumbled at in 2 weeks, on the night of the new moon, he'd strike the capital. Then he rumbled the Knot leave him & never bother him again. The Knot didn't need to be shown the exit, they quickly managed to get out.
The Knot spent a couple days making the island their own. They were quick to start relocating their minions to their new headquarters. Wasyli catalogued and marveled at the massive volume of books. But they were on a tight deadline so they left it to their minions to prepare the island.
The Knot traveled to the capital. Their minions had already prepared the manor house, whose deed they had "acquired" in the ruins of Daveryn.
Settling in, the Knot quickly gets the lay of the land in the City. They find some conflicting rumors about the Princess, but they focus more on how to get Yvainne an invite into the King's Palace.
She managed to con her way into an invite into the servants out-building. But realizes she'll be unable to do an actual servants job during the day, without bursting into flames. Quell though managed to land a job as a Cook's assistant and start to gather information about the residents of the keep. But not actual entrance into the main keep.
Meanwhile, the Knot struggled to get more information and an invitation for Yvainne. In the end, the Knot, reluctantly, settle on calling Wasyli's "Aunt", the Baroness of Veryn.
They meet the Baroness at her small estate in the capital. After pleasantries are exchanged, and refreshments are served, Wasyli asks her to help. They need into the royal palace. Asking what the problem is, Yvainne pipes up. "It's an undead problem..." The baroness nods in understanding. With a smile she responds "For you, I'm sure it can be arraigned. Just tell me how soon and I'll make it happen."
They meet the Baroness at her small estate in the capital. After pleasantries are exchanged, and refreshments are served, Wasyli asks her to help. They need into the royal palace. Asking what the problem is, Yvainne pipes up. "It's an undead problem..." The baroness nods in understanding. With a smile she responds "For you, I'm sure it can be arraigned. Just tell me how soon and I'll make it happen."
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Session 36
Faced with a nay-indestructible foe, the Knot decided to try to stall the dragon, while they tried to find and rescue Quell.
Brother Summit, Wasyli and Trik rushed back into the massive dome structure, leaving Emmerick, Mardus and Yvainne behind to hold off the beast.
Wasyli and Trik tried to keep up, but Brother Summit rushed on ahead. Under his breath Wasyli said "He's getting too far ahead..."
Brother Summit rushed up the stairs and found Quell, in rags, chained to the wall. Two crystal gargoyles guarding him. Summit, out of breath, braced for an attack, only to look on in horror as he saw one of the gargoyles turn on their unarmed, restrained prisoner and shred him under their claws.
The other gargoyle, making sure their ward was dead, then pushed on to engage in the Monk.
By the time Wasyli & Trik arrived, Quell was beyond even a breath of life. Still, revenge was had. Both crystal gargoyles soon were nothing but chunks of rock.
Meanwhile, outside the remaining Knot was faced with a daunting task. Then Emmerick had an idea. The anti-paladin grabbed the unconscious and bleeding Rakshasa and placed Helbrand at her throat.
The Dragon stopped his attack & growled.
Mardus asked to stabilize her and got permission to get outside the anti-magic field and stop the bleeding while Emmerick tried to get the Dragon to offer his life for that of his concubine. A low rumbling growl was the only response he got.
A quite but tense banter developed between the Anti-Paladin and the Copper Dragon. In the end, the anti-paladin and fire oracle of Hell do what they do best. Agree to a pact. They offer to free the Rakshasa, if they can simply leave with their elf. The catch, the Rakshasa has to leave and never return to the island of Talengarde. And the Knot will not return for two days, to give the Dragon time to send her off to another plane. The Dragon agrees, with an addendum. The Elf can never return to the island, so long as he still draws breath.
A dagger to bleed the two followers of Hell and the paw of the copper beast followed by a shake was enough to seal the deal.
By the time the dragon and anti-paladin arrive, they find Quell and the gargoyles dead. Still, the deal was struck. The Knot hand over the Rakshasa and leave.
Over the three days the Knot collects a large number of vials of alchemical reagents, preparing an elaborate trap of using telekinesis to hurl vials through the anti-magic field. Also using dark magic, they bind a vicious barbed devil to their service. And raising Quell from the dead, even though they'll have to keep him on the bench.
Returning, the Knot wastes no time in assaulting the top of the dome, melting the roof, revealing their target, the Copper dragon. Though he's not alone, his tree-woman concubine is back from the dead and with him.
The battle is joined. And their plan is never able to be executed.
A fire storm from Mardus forced the dragon up next to the waiting Knot. His joke about "third time, still not very charming" falls on deaf ears as the Knot unloads on the dragon. Brother Summit, Emmerick, all of the Knot attacked in coordination. In a matter of seconds, before the Dragon could even respond with an anti-magic field, he falls under the blows of the Barbed Devil. Falling back down into the roaring inferno below.
Mardus still tried to telekinesis a dozen vials at the tree-woman, and didn't even get close. Still, Wasyli dimensional anchored the tree woman, and Emmerick made short work of her, sending her after her lover into the fires of hell.
With the island theirs, they began to explore. Yvainne confidently flying down into the Dome. The vampire rejoicing in her new "home".
With the Dragon dead, Wasyli left to grab Quell and return. With the Knot reformed, they quickly explores the Dome complex, finding many, many items of interest. Massive, magically controlled stone figures comprising a chess set, dozens of book about all kinds of oddities and other strange items. By far the greatest find was figuring out the riddle to move the Queens of the Chess Set to open the vault of the ancient dragon.
Within the treasure horde they found two items of great interest. The first, the pommel of Helbrand, which Emmerick quickly attached to his blade. The second, a suspended skull floating in a jar, a Demi-Lich...
Before the Knot fully cataloged their find, they return to the Dome and are greeted with slow clapping. There, standing in the middle of the massive chess set is the contract devil, Dessiter.
In a very matter-of-fact voice, the Devil says what the Ninth Knot already feared. What Emmerick had been saying since they first broke out of Branderscar Prison over a year ago. Cardinal Thorn was about to betray them. When they finish their mission, and the King of Talengarde lays dead. Tiadora will come and summon them to the High Cardinal of Asmodeus in Talengarde and there. In his throne room of his secret fortress far to the north. There, Cardinal Thorn will kill them all. They will have the wicked reward they so justly deserve.
Silence descends...
Brother Summit, Wasyli and Trik rushed back into the massive dome structure, leaving Emmerick, Mardus and Yvainne behind to hold off the beast.
Wasyli and Trik tried to keep up, but Brother Summit rushed on ahead. Under his breath Wasyli said "He's getting too far ahead..."
Brother Summit rushed up the stairs and found Quell, in rags, chained to the wall. Two crystal gargoyles guarding him. Summit, out of breath, braced for an attack, only to look on in horror as he saw one of the gargoyles turn on their unarmed, restrained prisoner and shred him under their claws.
The other gargoyle, making sure their ward was dead, then pushed on to engage in the Monk.
By the time Wasyli & Trik arrived, Quell was beyond even a breath of life. Still, revenge was had. Both crystal gargoyles soon were nothing but chunks of rock.
Meanwhile, outside the remaining Knot was faced with a daunting task. Then Emmerick had an idea. The anti-paladin grabbed the unconscious and bleeding Rakshasa and placed Helbrand at her throat.
The Dragon stopped his attack & growled.
Mardus asked to stabilize her and got permission to get outside the anti-magic field and stop the bleeding while Emmerick tried to get the Dragon to offer his life for that of his concubine. A low rumbling growl was the only response he got.
A quite but tense banter developed between the Anti-Paladin and the Copper Dragon. In the end, the anti-paladin and fire oracle of Hell do what they do best. Agree to a pact. They offer to free the Rakshasa, if they can simply leave with their elf. The catch, the Rakshasa has to leave and never return to the island of Talengarde. And the Knot will not return for two days, to give the Dragon time to send her off to another plane. The Dragon agrees, with an addendum. The Elf can never return to the island, so long as he still draws breath.
A dagger to bleed the two followers of Hell and the paw of the copper beast followed by a shake was enough to seal the deal.
By the time the dragon and anti-paladin arrive, they find Quell and the gargoyles dead. Still, the deal was struck. The Knot hand over the Rakshasa and leave.
Over the three days the Knot collects a large number of vials of alchemical reagents, preparing an elaborate trap of using telekinesis to hurl vials through the anti-magic field. Also using dark magic, they bind a vicious barbed devil to their service. And raising Quell from the dead, even though they'll have to keep him on the bench.
Returning, the Knot wastes no time in assaulting the top of the dome, melting the roof, revealing their target, the Copper dragon. Though he's not alone, his tree-woman concubine is back from the dead and with him.
The battle is joined. And their plan is never able to be executed.
A fire storm from Mardus forced the dragon up next to the waiting Knot. His joke about "third time, still not very charming" falls on deaf ears as the Knot unloads on the dragon. Brother Summit, Emmerick, all of the Knot attacked in coordination. In a matter of seconds, before the Dragon could even respond with an anti-magic field, he falls under the blows of the Barbed Devil. Falling back down into the roaring inferno below.
Mardus still tried to telekinesis a dozen vials at the tree-woman, and didn't even get close. Still, Wasyli dimensional anchored the tree woman, and Emmerick made short work of her, sending her after her lover into the fires of hell.
With the island theirs, they began to explore. Yvainne confidently flying down into the Dome. The vampire rejoicing in her new "home".
With the Dragon dead, Wasyli left to grab Quell and return. With the Knot reformed, they quickly explores the Dome complex, finding many, many items of interest. Massive, magically controlled stone figures comprising a chess set, dozens of book about all kinds of oddities and other strange items. By far the greatest find was figuring out the riddle to move the Queens of the Chess Set to open the vault of the ancient dragon.
Within the treasure horde they found two items of great interest. The first, the pommel of Helbrand, which Emmerick quickly attached to his blade. The second, a suspended skull floating in a jar, a Demi-Lich...
Before the Knot fully cataloged their find, they return to the Dome and are greeted with slow clapping. There, standing in the middle of the massive chess set is the contract devil, Dessiter.
In a very matter-of-fact voice, the Devil says what the Ninth Knot already feared. What Emmerick had been saying since they first broke out of Branderscar Prison over a year ago. Cardinal Thorn was about to betray them. When they finish their mission, and the King of Talengarde lays dead. Tiadora will come and summon them to the High Cardinal of Asmodeus in Talengarde and there. In his throne room of his secret fortress far to the north. There, Cardinal Thorn will kill them all. They will have the wicked reward they so justly deserve.
Silence descends...
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Session 35
The Knot, magical invisibility in place, began their search & destroy mission.
Lacking a magical window in a vale, Wasyli simply disintegrated a hole into the roof of the wooden side building. The Knot explored, expecting combat. All they found was an empty building devoted to art work depicting the Rakshasa's life. And a large number of abandoned empty barrack bunks.
It seems their earlier assault thinned the ranks of the island's inhabitants more than expected.
The Knot returned to the roof, their invisibility magic starting to fade. They spotted patrol of crystal gargoyles coming. Mardus dropped an illusion and the knot waited until the patrol passed by. After they were gone, the Knot rushed on and found a secluded garden and a secluded pond.
Their magic about to run out, the Knot ambushed one of the patrols near the middle of the island, high in the air. One of the gargoyles rushed away to alert others, only to be disintegrated into a pile of dust. The other one staggered under the blows of the Knot. Mardus readied a telekinesis spell and as the crystal gargoyle fell, Mardus acted to catch the large form and gently float it to the ground. The patrol was destroyed, and nary a sound was made.
The Knot picked another spot, this time forced to stay low to the ground, using Wasyli to bend shadows to hid them. As the second crystal gargoyle patrol flew nearby and the Knot struck. This time, the range proved problematic.
One gargoyle fled away. It reached the large domed building and reached for the door, only to be hit with a destruction spell. Then the other gargoyle fled as well. It too reached for the door, only to get killed with a burst of magical energy and slumped over.
The Knot quickly grabbed the gargoyle corpses and dumped them into a river stream.
With the obvious threats eliminated the Knot considered their options.
They decide to bait a response and hide to see the response they get. The bait came in the form of a handful of fire seeds bursting, turning the garden trees into a roaring inferno. The Knot had to wait a few minutes before they heard the roaring "Invaders!" call to ring out and an angry dragon followed by two concubines emerged from the domed building.
Seeing an opportunity to sneak in, Yvainne stone shaped a hole into the building, only to get stuck, unable to enter. Sighs rang out from the Knot. Their vampire friend hadn't been invited in and the dome structure was a private dwelling, it's inhabitant very much alive, if the roaring was any indication. Beyond they saw a massive set of chess pieces, the size befitting a huge dragon and the open doors. The dolphin concubine looking away, trying to summon her water elemental.
Forced to improvise, the Knot resorted to a direct assault. Yvainne started to circle around the outside of the massive building, as the rest of the Knot rushed past massive stone chess pieces. They managed to blast the concubine and disrupt her summoning and causing her to call out in pain. Alerting her dragon mate and his Rakshasa lover.
The Knot clashed against the dragon and his women. A joke about the Knot being assassins of Kings, and how assassins somehow fit "ass" in their names twice made some of the Knot burst into laughter, but they managed to all recover eventually.
With only 2 concubines, and no crystal gargoyles or oreads, along with a massive complement of powerful magical buffs, the fight starts off better. The Knot is able to land devastating blows on the Dragon. But the beast kept falling back and getting healing from his concubines. So the Knot shifted strategy.
Shortly after that the Rakshasa goes unconscious under multiple blows. Though Summit does get beat up pretty bad by the Dragon, forced to rely on healing from Trik.
Seeing his two concubines go down, the dragon resorts to his last line of defense. He brings up an anti-magic field. Emmerick & Brother Summit feel their magical buffs fail. Even Emmerick's smiting turns off.
The Knot gets quite for a second as the dragon roars. Stripped of magical buffs and gear, the prospect of fighting the massive dragon turns into a scary proposition indeed...
Lacking a magical window in a vale, Wasyli simply disintegrated a hole into the roof of the wooden side building. The Knot explored, expecting combat. All they found was an empty building devoted to art work depicting the Rakshasa's life. And a large number of abandoned empty barrack bunks.
It seems their earlier assault thinned the ranks of the island's inhabitants more than expected.
The Knot returned to the roof, their invisibility magic starting to fade. They spotted patrol of crystal gargoyles coming. Mardus dropped an illusion and the knot waited until the patrol passed by. After they were gone, the Knot rushed on and found a secluded garden and a secluded pond.
Their magic about to run out, the Knot ambushed one of the patrols near the middle of the island, high in the air. One of the gargoyles rushed away to alert others, only to be disintegrated into a pile of dust. The other one staggered under the blows of the Knot. Mardus readied a telekinesis spell and as the crystal gargoyle fell, Mardus acted to catch the large form and gently float it to the ground. The patrol was destroyed, and nary a sound was made.
The Knot picked another spot, this time forced to stay low to the ground, using Wasyli to bend shadows to hid them. As the second crystal gargoyle patrol flew nearby and the Knot struck. This time, the range proved problematic.
One gargoyle fled away. It reached the large domed building and reached for the door, only to be hit with a destruction spell. Then the other gargoyle fled as well. It too reached for the door, only to get killed with a burst of magical energy and slumped over.
The Knot quickly grabbed the gargoyle corpses and dumped them into a river stream.
With the obvious threats eliminated the Knot considered their options.
They decide to bait a response and hide to see the response they get. The bait came in the form of a handful of fire seeds bursting, turning the garden trees into a roaring inferno. The Knot had to wait a few minutes before they heard the roaring "Invaders!" call to ring out and an angry dragon followed by two concubines emerged from the domed building.
Seeing an opportunity to sneak in, Yvainne stone shaped a hole into the building, only to get stuck, unable to enter. Sighs rang out from the Knot. Their vampire friend hadn't been invited in and the dome structure was a private dwelling, it's inhabitant very much alive, if the roaring was any indication. Beyond they saw a massive set of chess pieces, the size befitting a huge dragon and the open doors. The dolphin concubine looking away, trying to summon her water elemental.
Forced to improvise, the Knot resorted to a direct assault. Yvainne started to circle around the outside of the massive building, as the rest of the Knot rushed past massive stone chess pieces. They managed to blast the concubine and disrupt her summoning and causing her to call out in pain. Alerting her dragon mate and his Rakshasa lover.
The Knot clashed against the dragon and his women. A joke about the Knot being assassins of Kings, and how assassins somehow fit "ass" in their names twice made some of the Knot burst into laughter, but they managed to all recover eventually.
With only 2 concubines, and no crystal gargoyles or oreads, along with a massive complement of powerful magical buffs, the fight starts off better. The Knot is able to land devastating blows on the Dragon. But the beast kept falling back and getting healing from his concubines. So the Knot shifted strategy.
Emmerick and Brother Summit try to dodge around, avoiding a full pummeling from the beast as they took hits on his women. The mermaid angel is the first to fall. Emmerick and Brother Summit are quick to ensure she doesn't get back up.
Shortly after that the Rakshasa goes unconscious under multiple blows. Though Summit does get beat up pretty bad by the Dragon, forced to rely on healing from Trik.
Seeing his two concubines go down, the dragon resorts to his last line of defense. He brings up an anti-magic field. Emmerick & Brother Summit feel their magical buffs fail. Even Emmerick's smiting turns off.
The Knot gets quite for a second as the dragon roars. Stripped of magical buffs and gear, the prospect of fighting the massive dragon turns into a scary proposition indeed...
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Session 34
As crystal gargoyles enclosed on the Knot, their bodies shimmering in blinding lights, the Dragon roared overhead and called out in a mocking voice... "Six blind mice, see how they run!"
The fight was joined. And Quell fell over in uncontrollable laughing.
The agethion concubine struggled to keep up with her allies as they rushed ahead. The tree-shaped woman leading the three, using magic to move in among the Knot in a blur.
The Knot scattered, casters fleeing from her aging attacks as the melee fighters surged forward. The dragon continued to roar overhead as Quell rolled on the floor laughing more.
At one point Yvainne tried to run away & bumped into something invisible and just kept trying to move around it until she got in the clear. Not waiting to see what it was she cast down divine wraith, stunning gargoyles and concubines alike.
Wasyli managed to invoke his infernal pact and feeblemind the Rakshasa before hiding in shadows.
The gargoyles still moved in, blinding as they went, Quell gave out a laugh. "Ha! Now I am blind! Ha! This is SSOO funny! Ha!!" As around him his companions struggled for their lives. Even Mardus' repeated attempts to break enchantment failed.
Still, in spite of their adversity, the Knot tried to rally. Brother Summit & Emmerick laid into the tree creature. Their repeated blows chopping her down. Eventually she fell to Emmerick, for a second the anti-paladin looked to a nearby Gargoyle, but then turned to the fallen concubine. And resumed hacking at her with helbrand until he was sure she was dead.
Then the invisible dragon dropped the rouse of his illusionary copy. And he savaged into the wicked creature who smote his lover. In a rush of attacks Emmerick staggered and fell. The dragon refused to relent. Blow after blow, until the very armor Emmerick wore was bend under the final tail slam. Emmerick's battered form was well beyond the breath of life Mardus could offer and then Mardus succumbed to the blinding light of the Gargoyles.
Emmerick dead, Quell consumed by laughter, the crystal of the island even seemed to blow teleportation magic. The potential doom of the Ninth Knot was at hand.
Thinking on their feet, the Knot came up with a solution. Wasyli used limited wish to create a dampening field to allow teleportation magic to work. Yvainne rushes into it and calls out for the others to come running as she preps a word of recall. Mardus waited blindly, not realizing he was outside the dampening field. Brother Summit paused, his gaze alternating between the laughing form of Quell and the crumpled mortal shell of Emmerick. He looked over at Wasyli, who gave an uncertain look in response. With a sigh, Brother Summit rushed and grabbed Emmerick's body, running back to his waiting allies. Then he is staggered under a passing bite from the invisible dragon. Only his half-orc ferocity able to keep him on his feet. He reaches out and grabs Yvainne and the blind Mardus. Yvainne's spell goes off, there's a ripple of magic and it looks for a second like the blind Mardus will be left behind, but then the magic snaps and he disappears with the rest.
Left behind was the laughing Quell.
Arriving in a safe house in Farholde, Brother Summit blacked out and had to be brought back up with healing magics. Emmerick was a more complicated situation. Resorting to a raise dead scroll, they managed to get their anti-paladin back on his feet.
Realizing they were way in over their heads, the Knot plots what to do next. They try scrying, but fail to see Quell, while back on the Island, Quell was "getting to know" his new friends. His taunts only increase the punishment the Rakshasa lays on him. Between her less than gentle attention and the arcane magic of the ancient copper dragon, Quell breaks in a matter of days. Revealing a great many of the Knot's secrets to the forces of good.
The rest of the Knot didn't remain idle. With scrying magic not aiding them, they opted for a more direct route. An invisible flying Wasyli would do airborne recon of the island from hundreds of feet in the air.
There he spot an odd sight. Quell, contained in some kind of glowing energy sphere, was on display in the middle of the island. Guarded by 2 gargoyles. Also, Wasyli saw two pairs of Gargoyles on patrol in other parts of the island.
Wasyli returned a day later, the second time armed with true seeing. And he saw what he expected, the image of Quell and his two guards were simply illusions. He also spotted the dolphine-woman patrolling the reefs around the island.
He's scared off when the Copper Dragon spots him invisible in the air high above the island. Forced to teleport away.
Wasyli does one more fly by the following day, not seeing anything. Even the illusion is gone. But the two patrols of gargoyles remained.
The time for an island assault was at hand.
The Knot discussed an all-out invasion. Throwing minions & lieutenants in an amphibious assault, while the Knot does covert ops. A bold and risky move likely to seriously leave a dent in the ranks of the Shroud. But the Knot decide to leave that option as a backup, instead focusing on tactical strategic guerilla warfare. Their first target. The Gargoyle patrols.
With that the Knot grab Trik, spell up and teleport back onto the island that almost doomed them four days before.
The fight was joined. And Quell fell over in uncontrollable laughing.
The agethion concubine struggled to keep up with her allies as they rushed ahead. The tree-shaped woman leading the three, using magic to move in among the Knot in a blur.
The Knot scattered, casters fleeing from her aging attacks as the melee fighters surged forward. The dragon continued to roar overhead as Quell rolled on the floor laughing more.
At one point Yvainne tried to run away & bumped into something invisible and just kept trying to move around it until she got in the clear. Not waiting to see what it was she cast down divine wraith, stunning gargoyles and concubines alike.
Wasyli managed to invoke his infernal pact and feeblemind the Rakshasa before hiding in shadows.
The gargoyles still moved in, blinding as they went, Quell gave out a laugh. "Ha! Now I am blind! Ha! This is SSOO funny! Ha!!" As around him his companions struggled for their lives. Even Mardus' repeated attempts to break enchantment failed.
Still, in spite of their adversity, the Knot tried to rally. Brother Summit & Emmerick laid into the tree creature. Their repeated blows chopping her down. Eventually she fell to Emmerick, for a second the anti-paladin looked to a nearby Gargoyle, but then turned to the fallen concubine. And resumed hacking at her with helbrand until he was sure she was dead.
Then the invisible dragon dropped the rouse of his illusionary copy. And he savaged into the wicked creature who smote his lover. In a rush of attacks Emmerick staggered and fell. The dragon refused to relent. Blow after blow, until the very armor Emmerick wore was bend under the final tail slam. Emmerick's battered form was well beyond the breath of life Mardus could offer and then Mardus succumbed to the blinding light of the Gargoyles.
Emmerick dead, Quell consumed by laughter, the crystal of the island even seemed to blow teleportation magic. The potential doom of the Ninth Knot was at hand.
Thinking on their feet, the Knot came up with a solution. Wasyli used limited wish to create a dampening field to allow teleportation magic to work. Yvainne rushes into it and calls out for the others to come running as she preps a word of recall. Mardus waited blindly, not realizing he was outside the dampening field. Brother Summit paused, his gaze alternating between the laughing form of Quell and the crumpled mortal shell of Emmerick. He looked over at Wasyli, who gave an uncertain look in response. With a sigh, Brother Summit rushed and grabbed Emmerick's body, running back to his waiting allies. Then he is staggered under a passing bite from the invisible dragon. Only his half-orc ferocity able to keep him on his feet. He reaches out and grabs Yvainne and the blind Mardus. Yvainne's spell goes off, there's a ripple of magic and it looks for a second like the blind Mardus will be left behind, but then the magic snaps and he disappears with the rest.
Left behind was the laughing Quell.
Arriving in a safe house in Farholde, Brother Summit blacked out and had to be brought back up with healing magics. Emmerick was a more complicated situation. Resorting to a raise dead scroll, they managed to get their anti-paladin back on his feet.
Realizing they were way in over their heads, the Knot plots what to do next. They try scrying, but fail to see Quell, while back on the Island, Quell was "getting to know" his new friends. His taunts only increase the punishment the Rakshasa lays on him. Between her less than gentle attention and the arcane magic of the ancient copper dragon, Quell breaks in a matter of days. Revealing a great many of the Knot's secrets to the forces of good.
The rest of the Knot didn't remain idle. With scrying magic not aiding them, they opted for a more direct route. An invisible flying Wasyli would do airborne recon of the island from hundreds of feet in the air.
There he spot an odd sight. Quell, contained in some kind of glowing energy sphere, was on display in the middle of the island. Guarded by 2 gargoyles. Also, Wasyli saw two pairs of Gargoyles on patrol in other parts of the island.
Wasyli returned a day later, the second time armed with true seeing. And he saw what he expected, the image of Quell and his two guards were simply illusions. He also spotted the dolphine-woman patrolling the reefs around the island.
He's scared off when the Copper Dragon spots him invisible in the air high above the island. Forced to teleport away.
Wasyli does one more fly by the following day, not seeing anything. Even the illusion is gone. But the two patrols of gargoyles remained.
The time for an island assault was at hand.
The Knot discussed an all-out invasion. Throwing minions & lieutenants in an amphibious assault, while the Knot does covert ops. A bold and risky move likely to seriously leave a dent in the ranks of the Shroud. But the Knot decide to leave that option as a backup, instead focusing on tactical strategic guerilla warfare. Their first target. The Gargoyle patrols.
With that the Knot grab Trik, spell up and teleport back onto the island that almost doomed them four days before.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Session 33
After recovering, and some pointed questions with Jaretheon Knightsbane, the Knot started to worry. It seems the young dragon lied about the creatures of the island, but what was worse. It seems the dragon lied about the way he parted with his father. Perhaps this gift was a bit overvalued...
Still, with no other choice, the Knot pushed forward, wandering through a macobre scene of melted flesh and bone, before arriving at the secluded flooded out cavern lair of Chargmagon. Then, rising out of the cloudy water, the hulking form of the great wyrm. The beast roared but the members of Cardinal Thorn's Ninth Knot stood their ground. Even the fear prone Quell managed to stand tall in the face of the brute.
The Knot presented their "gift" and waited for a response, unsure of what to expect. The father grabbed the head of his spawn. Emmerick quickly let go of the Mithril chain before he too got dragged forward into the pool. The Knot cringed as they saw the dragon father squeeze on the muzzled head of the younger dragon. Then a popping sound filled the chamber. Jaretheon fell down, Chargmagon holding in the split open Mithril muzzle in his massive clawed hands. Jaretheon scurried away as Chargmagon dropped the Mithril muzzle into the pool. Mardus gave a sad look as he saw the valuable Mithril disappear with a blurp. A couple knot members whispered to each other. "We told the Eagle King we'd return it. Opps" The grinning response "Well, we can always tell him where to go to get it... "
Emmerick and Mardus stepped forward. Emmerick put on a performance unseen before by the other Knot members as he and Mardus wove a tale of a time when Chargmagon could be a glorious powerhouse again and make the whole isles fear his great name. Between a returned dragon spawn, a fair amount of boot-licking and an incredible stroke of luck, the Knot managed to not get eaten by the Dragon.
Chargmagon agreed to the Knot's cause. But with a caveat. They were to complete his quest of blood, before he'd complete theirs. A copper dragon and his outsider concubines ruled an island far to the south. "Return with the dragons head, or don't return at all." Hissed the Dragon before he slipped away under the pool of water.
The Knot waisted no time to flee.
When they were far away they gave a collective sigh of relief. Then they realized just how insane of a plot they were in the middle of. Emmerick spoke up. "What is Thorn thinking, that could have killed us..." Then, realizing what he just said. He gave a groan. "This is a suicide mission isn't it?" No one else in the Knot spoke up.
Still, the mission was in front of them so they pushed on. Wasyli & Mardus spent a great deal of time researching the dragon and got as much information about the copper trickster and his concubines.
The Knot then sailed off to the isle of the copper dragon. Arriving they circled the island, the sailors afraid to approach the jagged reefs that ringed the isle. They they spotted it, a dock pocking out of the island, behind the reef.
Figuring there was some way to approach, Brother Summit offers to go explore. Layered in divine spells, the monk easily swam through the water, breathing with indifference. Even with the full moon out, the monk was able to hide in the water & explore the reef. He found a route through, and followed it until he was confronted by a dolphin mer-maid angel. A concubine of the copper dragon.
Brother Summit stood in stunned silence. The angel spoke short and concise. "The island is closed, turn around." Brother Summit, not use to lying tried to stretch the truth. And seeing that was failing, just came out and said they were here to challenge the dragon lord of the isle to a battle to the death but that they wished no harm to any others of the isle. Then it was the angel's turn to stand in silence. His open desire not to kill others gave the angel pause. Instead of attacking him, she told him one more time. "Leave". And Brother Summit, without saying a word, turned and swam back to the waiting ship.
The rest of the Knot stood dumbfound to Summit's story. Still, the Knot played up the "lie" and started to turn the ship around. Quell and Summit noticed the dolphin-angel go to the docks but she never leaves the water, returning to beneath the waves after a few moments.
The Knot knew, the time to strike was waning. She was warning others.
Wasyli got the Knot together and tried to cast teleportation. Then he realized, there was resistance coming from the island. Something on the island was making it difficult to teleport. Still he was able to teleport the group to the edge of the island. Where they ran into a group of oreads waiting for them.
The Knot held back nothing. They carpeted the docks with 7th level spells and ruthless attacks. Laying waste to the meager defenders. The angel came to reinforce the oreads from the ocean, a Elder Water Elemental charging in front of her, only to have the huge watery monster turn and run in fear from Emmerick. The remaining oreads broke and fled. Brother Summit & Mardus rushed after them and slew them. Wasyli tried to Feeblemind the angel, and failing that, tried to dimensional anchor her. It all failed. Resorting to Glitterdust her, they managed to blind her. But that only got her to flee sooner and before the Knot could respond she slipped beneath the waves. The Knot waited for a few seconds. Unsure if she'd return. Then, rolling out from the heart of the island, all the way to the shores came one word in Draconic. "Invaders!"
The Knot turned in surprise. Fearing they were losing their window, they rushed forward through the island. Mardus did some light ariel reconnaissance and they saw another group of oreads rushing toward the main domed building and started to make a defensive stance.
The Knot clashed into the oreads, savaging through their ranks. Even their captain, a mighty barbarian staggered under the blows of Brother Summit. A group of crystal gargoyles flew in to engage them and the struggled to stay afloat against the roaring inferno of fiery hell Mardus unleashed on them.
Then out of the domed building, they came. Three concubines and one very angry copper dragon.
The Knot paused, a sense of dread filling them as they saw the tide of battle starting to turn...
Still, with no other choice, the Knot pushed forward, wandering through a macobre scene of melted flesh and bone, before arriving at the secluded flooded out cavern lair of Chargmagon. Then, rising out of the cloudy water, the hulking form of the great wyrm. The beast roared but the members of Cardinal Thorn's Ninth Knot stood their ground. Even the fear prone Quell managed to stand tall in the face of the brute.
The Knot presented their "gift" and waited for a response, unsure of what to expect. The father grabbed the head of his spawn. Emmerick quickly let go of the Mithril chain before he too got dragged forward into the pool. The Knot cringed as they saw the dragon father squeeze on the muzzled head of the younger dragon. Then a popping sound filled the chamber. Jaretheon fell down, Chargmagon holding in the split open Mithril muzzle in his massive clawed hands. Jaretheon scurried away as Chargmagon dropped the Mithril muzzle into the pool. Mardus gave a sad look as he saw the valuable Mithril disappear with a blurp. A couple knot members whispered to each other. "We told the Eagle King we'd return it. Opps" The grinning response "Well, we can always tell him where to go to get it... "
Emmerick and Mardus stepped forward. Emmerick put on a performance unseen before by the other Knot members as he and Mardus wove a tale of a time when Chargmagon could be a glorious powerhouse again and make the whole isles fear his great name. Between a returned dragon spawn, a fair amount of boot-licking and an incredible stroke of luck, the Knot managed to not get eaten by the Dragon.
Chargmagon agreed to the Knot's cause. But with a caveat. They were to complete his quest of blood, before he'd complete theirs. A copper dragon and his outsider concubines ruled an island far to the south. "Return with the dragons head, or don't return at all." Hissed the Dragon before he slipped away under the pool of water.
The Knot waisted no time to flee.
When they were far away they gave a collective sigh of relief. Then they realized just how insane of a plot they were in the middle of. Emmerick spoke up. "What is Thorn thinking, that could have killed us..." Then, realizing what he just said. He gave a groan. "This is a suicide mission isn't it?" No one else in the Knot spoke up.
Still, the mission was in front of them so they pushed on. Wasyli & Mardus spent a great deal of time researching the dragon and got as much information about the copper trickster and his concubines.
The Knot then sailed off to the isle of the copper dragon. Arriving they circled the island, the sailors afraid to approach the jagged reefs that ringed the isle. They they spotted it, a dock pocking out of the island, behind the reef.
Figuring there was some way to approach, Brother Summit offers to go explore. Layered in divine spells, the monk easily swam through the water, breathing with indifference. Even with the full moon out, the monk was able to hide in the water & explore the reef. He found a route through, and followed it until he was confronted by a dolphin mer-maid angel. A concubine of the copper dragon.
Brother Summit stood in stunned silence. The angel spoke short and concise. "The island is closed, turn around." Brother Summit, not use to lying tried to stretch the truth. And seeing that was failing, just came out and said they were here to challenge the dragon lord of the isle to a battle to the death but that they wished no harm to any others of the isle. Then it was the angel's turn to stand in silence. His open desire not to kill others gave the angel pause. Instead of attacking him, she told him one more time. "Leave". And Brother Summit, without saying a word, turned and swam back to the waiting ship.
The rest of the Knot stood dumbfound to Summit's story. Still, the Knot played up the "lie" and started to turn the ship around. Quell and Summit noticed the dolphin-angel go to the docks but she never leaves the water, returning to beneath the waves after a few moments.
The Knot knew, the time to strike was waning. She was warning others.
Wasyli got the Knot together and tried to cast teleportation. Then he realized, there was resistance coming from the island. Something on the island was making it difficult to teleport. Still he was able to teleport the group to the edge of the island. Where they ran into a group of oreads waiting for them.
The Knot held back nothing. They carpeted the docks with 7th level spells and ruthless attacks. Laying waste to the meager defenders. The angel came to reinforce the oreads from the ocean, a Elder Water Elemental charging in front of her, only to have the huge watery monster turn and run in fear from Emmerick. The remaining oreads broke and fled. Brother Summit & Mardus rushed after them and slew them. Wasyli tried to Feeblemind the angel, and failing that, tried to dimensional anchor her. It all failed. Resorting to Glitterdust her, they managed to blind her. But that only got her to flee sooner and before the Knot could respond she slipped beneath the waves. The Knot waited for a few seconds. Unsure if she'd return. Then, rolling out from the heart of the island, all the way to the shores came one word in Draconic. "Invaders!"
The Knot turned in surprise. Fearing they were losing their window, they rushed forward through the island. Mardus did some light ariel reconnaissance and they saw another group of oreads rushing toward the main domed building and started to make a defensive stance.
The Knot clashed into the oreads, savaging through their ranks. Even their captain, a mighty barbarian staggered under the blows of Brother Summit. A group of crystal gargoyles flew in to engage them and the struggled to stay afloat against the roaring inferno of fiery hell Mardus unleashed on them.
Then out of the domed building, they came. Three concubines and one very angry copper dragon.
The Knot paused, a sense of dread filling them as they saw the tide of battle starting to turn...
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