Final battle in the Old Hills

Location: the Lortmill mountains - former Duchy of Ulek. In the Old Hills near the village of  Checcar

Date: 25th of Reaping, High Summer

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The RedWater Fellowship:

Doc Holliday - Male 1/2 Orc | Gunslinger/Paladin of the goddess Raven Queen

Nenwin Albion - Male Aasimar | Paladin of the god Heironeous

Graxxuzzaz - Male Lizard-folk | Sorcerer/Warlock of the Great Old One - the Yellow King

Aeldred -  Male Red Dragon-born | Barbarian/Paladin/Ranger

Hester - Male Tabaxi | Cleric of Celestian

We rejoin our adventurers as they prepare for the final tasks to convert the power source for their flying tower from a demonic - soul fueled - power source to a live dragon heart [DM: without the living dragon around it of course!]. While recovering from their battles and defeat of the ancient black dragon Zemycran [DM: see blogpost for details] they had decided to engage and subdue a younger black dragon that was resting in the destroyed village of Checcar. A team of three experts - arch-mage, high priest and a master artificer/warlock schooled in demonology were ready to teleport in to assist with the transformation of the tower. Ready when Hester casts a sending spell to the Lady Cowl - head of the intelligence and covert operations under Overlord Romack [DM: blogpost details on Lady Cowl], who the Redwater Fellowship had worked for on occasion.

The party's flying tower was located about 3 miles to the Southeast of the village, in a small valley. Both Aeldred and Nenwin took turns keeping an eye on the black dragon nesting in the ruin of a village building. They had noted the dragon egg as the dragon moved about. The rest of the heroes prepared, prayed to their various deities and Graxxuzzaz read a tome of eldritch lore - The All Seeing Tale of Inscrutable Rituals. It appeared that an arcane spell was buried in the text, but the full book - all 1011 pages - had to be read to discern what it was. Hester learns about the controls to pilot and fly the tower from Gothi the Ranger and Graxxuzzaz.

1st roll of the night. A good omen

Then the next day came. Early morning, the party made ready. Gothi would stay with the tower - as well as the party's bard Tibaltuous - ready to bring the tower close to the village once the dragon was defeated or subdued. It was known now that the elite team coming from Lady Cowl, could use a recently killed heart, within hours. 

A slight breeze was blowing as the heroes made their way to the village. then a misty rain started to fall. It was still quite warm, a pleasant walk even though the party had what appeared to be a extremely difficult task ahead. The village came into sight, the party saw the black dragon, she appeared to be asleep. Making their way carefully forward they saw the acidic lake and stream feeding into it. The amount of acid flow in stream had diminished since the demise of Zemycran but the acid from the former dragon's lair still permeated the stream and lake.

 A camouflaged blind is prepared expertly by Doc, allowing the party to keep an eye on the dragon and area. Doc Holliday checks his musket for and peers out to ensure his sniping shots when the battle will be engaged.  

The heroes prepare as the dragon sleeps

They note a lantern moving away from Percy's little building - the only one not destroyed. Percy, a herbalist, smoking pipe-maker it appears was still alive and working. The lantern moved off into the dark, assumedly the hobbit was off to gather some herbs for his pipe weed. A humming or whistling jaunty tune could be heard and this did not seem to alert or affect the dragon in her sleep.

Then as the morning sun started to peek over the hills, the party was ready, not long now, it was going to be a hot sunny day. Hester got busy, casting sending to Lady Cowl to advise them to teleport the team at the assigned hour, then he cast again using the divine magic of Celestian to enchant the party a water walking spell on the party, thus the acid filled water could be bypassed. Finally Hester cast Pass without trace which allowed the party to move extremely quietly -even those in heavy armour. 

BATTLE!

It was now getting close to 7 bells in the early morning and the heroes started to creep forward. Doc primed his musket, checked the powder, his sword and blunderbuss. He kept an eye out waiting for the signal - spells being cast at the dragon and then he would fire. Nenwin and Aeldred moved forward to sneak up on the dragon, both fortunately still under the affect of a path without trace spell - as both were fairly noisy at the best of times!

Graxxuzzaz moved forward into a shell of an old house, walls turned to slag by acidic dragon breath. The portly but athletic sorcerer prepared a Psychic Lance spell to attack when ready. Hester nearby was ready as well with a guiding bolt spell

Nenwin and Aeldred sneaked along and made it to a large blasted hole in the ground and started discussing the use of one of Percy's smoke weeds that could potentially affect a dragon. Wyrm's Bane. [DM: Supposedly toxic to dragons and made one immune to a dragon's fear effect].  Aeldred - being a draconian, breathed a little flame and lights up a pipe of the weed and the two adventurers pass the pipe back and forth.. right near the dragon! The rest of the party were unsure what was going on so held their fire and spells!

1. Dragon | 2. Percy's House

Now feeling quite "good" and confident that the dragon would not be able to notice them due to the Wyrm's bane, the two paladins scuttled around and over the lake [DM: water walking is a very helpful spell] as they walked over the water they saw the remains of the village. It appears the lake had filled some of the area, probably from a blockage somewhere down stream. The two noted a melted skeleton that. There was something glinting in the acid filled water. Treasure! Both agreed to come back once the dragon was vanquished.

Then the party is ready. Aeldred and Nenwin rises up and attack. Doc fires his musket the shot echoes out braking the stillness. Graxxuzzaz casts his Psychic Lance and Hester's bolt flies out as well. It appeared the dragon was only partially surprised, she also appeared to be quite injured already. One wing was folded in and partially shredded.

Nenwin called upon the power of his god and flew up and brought his Holy Avenger sword down onto

Nenwin flying to confront the dragon

the back of the dragon. She roared in pain as the knight drove the sword deep into her side. Nenwin did similar attacks, his longsword - "Blood drinker" cutting through the thick and scaley hide of the dragon. The shot from Doc found its mark, the gunslinger putting extra effect to it with the power smite of his goddess, the Raven Queen. Hester's guiding bolt went high, but the cleric jumped forward preparing another spell. Graxxuzzaz's Psychic lance spell blasted into the head of the dragon but she was able to throw off most of the detrimental effects of the spell.

The attacks did knock the dragon back but she took a deep breath and a cone of caustic acid hit some of the party doing extensive damage. She was hurt but not out of the fight! Back and forth the party took the battle to the dragon, until she was nearly down, acidic blood pouring out of multiple wounds. Then Nenwin was going to do a final attack and Percy  ran out into the fray! The Fellowship at first were scared for the hobbit bein killed or caught in the damage, until Percy casts a healing spell on the dragon! 

Dragon flying from a long distance

The party quickly realize they have a new opponent now. The dragon and Percy were allied. Even further, as Aeldred started to attack the dragon egg, it incensed both. The dragon went berserk and the hobbit ran to save the egg. There appeared to be some type of relationship here... mother and.. father to the egg?

The dragon now berserk, was fighting more fiercely and faster. [DM: attacking the Mother dragon's egg had greatly increased her fighting stats] Percy nimbly jumped off and grabbing the black dragon egg cast some type of teleport spell and disappeared just as Aeldred was going to swing his sword down. The barbarian/paladin/ranger went off into the bush and hills to track the hobbit down while the rest of the party fought the furious dragon mother!

Battle continued until the dragon was taken with a sleep spell - good work by Hester and Doc to keep the dragon "ready" for the elite team coming soon to transform the tower. 

Even while this happened the final dragon appeared! Coming from the old monastery - dragon lair. [DM: blogpost]. The party used their combined tactics and final spells and more to take this one down as well. Not as large as Zemycran or even as large as the mother dragon - still affected by the sleep spell!

Dragon prep for the elite crew

Aeldred and Nenwin catch up to the hobbit and the rogue/herbal master is killed - very permanently - turned into a "burning smear on the ground" by the two knights' multiple attacks and a flaming cone of breath from Aeldred. The egg is recovered as well, but it is not looking healthy as it had been blasted by Aeldred's flaming breath as well as multiple hand-ax attacks.

The battles over, and the one dragon subdued, a 2nd dragon dead and ready for any work if needed. Then the elite team arrive as the party see their tower coming over the rise. Gothi the ranger was flying it near. 

The team:

Mr. Carssini

Wore very strange looking clothing.. continuously smoking small cigars. His haunted look no doubt due to his calling of a warlock trained in demonology as well as artificer.

High Priestess of Purity - Alera Tn'llaris and Archmage Cavri Tn'llaris

Rumour It was said these two are twins, but one looked to be 20 years old and the priestess was looking to be over 80 years in age.

The party were able to recover a number of treasures and magic items and treasure from Percy's house and his pulverized body.

• Crossbow of Speed +2
• Ring of Invisibility
• Dagger of Venom
• Magical Vials: Two out of four vials found are identified as magical, one of which is "extra healing"
• Burning Scroll: A magical scroll that the Fellowship were able to recover partially
• Case with Puzzle Lock: A closed case found to contain something magical, but it requires solving a puzzle lock to open [DM: always good to have a thief in the party]

After greetings are made and the trio of workers look over the tower and the dragon, they determine that it will take up to SEVEN weeks of work for this transformation as the Fellowship want to add the intelligence that was from F.E.R.A. the colossus [DM: blogpost] - residing in Gothi the foreclaimer [an ancient elf-like race] - to control the tower! 

The party decided to fly the tower to Axegard for now and then rest and recuperate there while the activity to transform and repair the flying tower was completed.

With their tower now safe, and being converted from demonic energy source to dragon heart powered, the Redwater Fellowship had no major obligations, quests or timelines they had to follow.

Some options they started to discuss:

• Of their home town, Dragon keep. 
• How the war against the demon hordes of Iuz and the forces of Overlord Romack
• How the battles or stalemate against the Blackrunes was going
• Finally, potential news of their former companion Robin who was now an undead king in the city of Enstad. Was he an enemy or an ally?
• Where was Lars, the boy vampire/mage who had the party's wagon and gold cube? [DM: Blogpost on the creation of the gold cube]
• Intrigue in the town of Fax, where their old comrade Kantif was headed to

There were many other options for the Fellowship... what to do and where to go... Until next time!