CH 4: Lair of the Dragon

[JadedDM]

Tanis could hardly believe it. She had found the disks. They must be the disks, they fit the description perfectly. The half-elf thinks to himself that seemed almost too easy.

He immediately regrets that thought.

As the group hurries back to the grate, that is when Onyx drops from the hidden ceiling and lands, heavily, right on top of their exit. Immediately, she rears up and throws open her wings as her dragonfear begins to spread in all directions.

Magpie immediately yelps and dives behind a pile of coins in fear.

"Fools!" Khisanth hisses in the Common tongue. "Did you think I would allow you to steal the disks right from under me?" She laughs. "Not only have you failed, but you have brought the staff to me, as well!"

Glancing at the staff in her hands, Goldmoon sees that the illusion has melted away, and the blue crystal of the staff is pulsating lightly, like a weak heartbeat, giving itself away.

As the Chieftain's Daughter contemplated what any of this means, she heard a voice in her head. "Give the disks to someone you trust for safekeeping, and hit the dragon with the staff. All will be well."

"Bring me the staff, and I may let you live," the dragon growls. "Refuse, and I will begin killing you one by one." As if to emphasize her words, a drop of acid dribbles from her mouth and splashes on the ground at her feet, sizzling and bubbling lightly as it eats away at the floor.

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Laurana saves vs dragonfear (1d20): 6, fail. Laurana suffers a -1 to hit
Raistlin saves vs dragonfear (1d20+3): 8, fail. Raistlin suffers a -1 to hit
Tanis saves vs dragonfear (1d20): 11, fail. Tanis suffers a -1 to hit
Goldmoon saves vs dragonfear (1d20+2): 22, pass! Goldmoon shrugs off the dragonfear.
Riverwind saves vs dragonfear (1d20): 4, fail. Riverwind suffers a -1 to hit
Flint saves vs dragonfear (1d20+5): 19, pass. Flint shrugs off the dragonfear.
Magpie saves vs dragonfear (1d20+4): 12, fail. Magpie suffers a -1 to hit
Sunstar saves vs dragonfear (1d20): 11, fail. Sunsutar suffers a -1 to hit

Tasslehoff is immune to dragonfear, due to being a kender.

Sturm and Caramon are immune to dragonfear, as they are 6th level.

I'm using the 1E rules for dragons (and only dragons) in these modules, because frankly, if I used the 2E stats for dragons, your chances of success against her would drop from slim to nil.

So, what shall you do? Fight? Try to flee? Parley? Good luck!

[Breila]

Goldmoon passes the disks to whoever is nearest to her, except if it's Magpie or Tas, preferably Riverwind, Sturm or Tanis. She then turns to the dragon.

"I do not fear you!" she exclaims, full of trust in Mishakal, now that she has revealed her presence by changing the staff's appearance. She steps forward to hit Khisanth.

1d20=17, hits AC1, AC-2 with staff bonus, now which AC does a dragon have?

[HorizonsDream]

Sunstar cowers back away from the dragon, her hands clutching the hand axes that Flint gave her. She is visibly shaken. She holds her ground instead of running away like a coward. "Foolish woman, what are you doing?" Sunstar asks in disbelief as Goldmoon just walks up to the dragon as if it was just some annoying lizard and smacks it with the staff.

[Nuke]

As he searches, he not surprised when Goldmoon locates the discs, he almost expected it. He is taken aback however when Oynx lands on their retreat route, pinning Sturm away from the fight. As Goldmoon begins her attack, he has two thoughts. First, he must protect her, and hopefully move the dragon so Sturm can get up the ladder.

The ranger shoulders his bow and pulls his sword, racing to get close to Goldmoon. He goes into a purely defensive mode intending to take any hit directed at her.

[Jenara]

Laurana stands still in disbelief, the Dragonfear washing over her, her limbs were heavy, her sword arm was like lead. "Goldmoon!" She manages to shout, rooted to the spot, she wanted to help, to do something... Drawing her bow so very slowly she notches an arrow preparing to shoot the dragon.

[Jerrard]

Drawing Brightblade, Sturm too runs to the side of Goldmoon, blade at the ready he prepares to attack, "FLEE!" He shouts, his mind filled with thoughts of killing a Dragon.

[JadedDM]

Tanis accepts the disks from Goldmoon, stunned by her sudden actions. Not sure what else to do, he quickly stuffs the disks in his pack. "Spread out!" he calls to the others.

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(OOC: While we're waiting for Kafen and mltillis to state their actions, I went ahead and drew up a quick map here. We'll assume one square is five feet in size. Piles of coins and gems can provide some cover. You can also climb up on them, if you make a DEX check.)

[mltillis]

"By the gods, we're really in it now! Find cover if you can!" Caramon moves to the dragons left side, just behind the stack of coins and attacks from there. He hopes to flank the creature or at the least turn its attention from the others.

((Woo Hoo! Finally got a good roll out of IC!))
Still rusty on the old mechanics, but I think I got it right.
1d20 → [20] = (20) THAC0: 15 (+2 for STR, +1 long sword) should hit -8
1d12 → [6] = (6) +5 = 11 damage

[JadedDM]

The dragon bulks. Of all of the possible responses she had expected, the humans foolishly charging her was not among them. Their recklessness actually surprises her for a moment--but only a moment. But as it turns out, that was all that was needed.

Everything happens so fast, it is difficult to process it. As Goldmoon charges the nightmare with wings, Raistlin immediately falls into the familiar chanting of magic. "Kalith karan, tobanis-kar!" he chants, unleashing two missiles of pure, red energy.

The dragon snarls, slightly put off by this stinging attack. But it distracts her long enough for the Chieftain's Daughter to get into range. The staff continues to pulse, getting faster and brighter, like a quickening heartbeat. Goldmoon has the strangest feeling that the staff was somehow pooling its courage, as if it were almost afraid to proceed and fulfill its destiny. In a way, she understands how it feels. With a mighty blow, she strikes the dragon's clawed foot with the staff.

The staff makes a low ringing sound as it strikes the dragon--then it shatters. A burst of pure, radiant blue light beams from the broken staff. The light grows brighter, spreading out in concentric waves, engulfing the dragon.

Khisanth screams in rage. The dragon is injured, terribly, mortally. She lashes out with her tail, flings her head about, and fights to escape the burning blue flame. She wants nothing except to kill those that dare inflict such pain, but the intense blue flame relentlessly consumes her--as it consumes Goldmoon.

The Chieftain's Daughter finds she cannot drop the broken staff, as if her hands were fused to it. She holds on to the fragmented end, watching as the light grows. When the blue light touches her hands she feels intense, burning pain. She hears the dragon shrieking and roaring above her, then she hears nothing but the ringing of the staff. The pain grows so horrible it is no longer a part of her, and she is overcome with great weariness. She knows she will sleep now. She will sleep, and when she awakens, she will be where she truly belongs...

Everyone else freezes in their tracks, watching in horror and fascination. The ringing pierces their ears, and the light nearly blinds them. Sturm snaps out of his reverie when something crashes to the floor in front of him. The chamber ceiling is collapsing! The entire building shakes around them, the ringing sound causing the pillars to tremble and the walls to crack.

Then the ringing dies--and with it, the dragon. Khisanth vanishes, along with Goldmoon, leaving behind nothing but a pile of smoldering ash.

As soon as the ringing sound ends, the party can hear the sounds of the palace caving in, the cracking of the ceiling and the thuds and explosive crashes as huge stone slabs strike the floor.

Immediately, Raistlin begins searching through the treasure horde again, ignoring the destruction around him. He must find it! It must be here!

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Initiative
Goldmoon (1d10+1): 7
Riverwind (1d10+5): 9
Laurnana (1d10+7): 16
Sturm (1d10+7): 10
Caramon (1d10+5): 12
Tasslehoff (1d10+11): 20
Raistlin (1d10+1): 2
Tanis (1d10+8): 9
Flint (1d10+7): 11
Khisanth (1d10+9): 13
Magpie (N/A)
Sunstar (N/A)

Round 1!

Raistlin casts Magic Missile at Khisanth, firing two missiles (2d4+2): 9 damage.
Goldmoon boldly presents the staff and strikes Khisanth (1d20+3): 20, hit. The staff shatters. Khisanth dies. Goldmoon dies.

Combat ends.

[Jenara]

Laurana stands dumbfounded for a moment, holding her bow ready to attack a dragon that was already dead. "What.. What just happened?" She manages to say as the Dragonfear wears off. "Goldmoon!" She shouts suddenly, reaching for pile of ash.

[Jerrard]

Sword still raised Sturm reaches quickly for Riverwind with his off hand. "We grieve later, now we have to move!" He shouts, "Which way?!" He shouts at the Gully Dwarf, "Which way to leave?"

[JadedDM]

Laurana runs to the pile of ash, still in a bit of shock. Nothing remains of either the dragon or Goldmoon. There isn't even any sign of the plainswoman's clothes or belongings. Even the broken shards of the staff are gone. All that remains is a ring with a black gemstone that twinkles slightly by the light of Raistlin's staff in the ash that was once the dragon.

In the distance, the party hears what sounds like rushing water. The cavern is not only collapsing, but all of New Sea is pouring in, as well. Water begins to seep in from under the doors, pooling quickly in the middle of the room and draining into the grate they arrived through.

Magpie stares up at the knight, a mixture of terror and confusion on her face. She snaps out of it, realizing what will happen if they don't escape. "Uh...uh...can go up with pots. Or climb up vines. Slippery, but lead up to top, where bakery was."

==========

Meanwhile, Goldmoon finds herself elsewhere. She isn't sure where. She's surrounded by soft, blue light that feels warm and comforting. She just kind of floats there, in the ether. In the distance, she notices something twinkling. With a thought, she wills herself to be right next to it. There is no need to walk or run in this place.

The twinkling comes from the shattered remains of the Blue Crystal Staff. They float there, what little power remaining in them coalescing together. The blue light within forms into the faint image of a person--a woman. A plainswoman. At first Goldmoon does not recognize her. It's not until she smiles warmly that the memories come flooding back.

It's a woman she has not seen since she was a child. A woman who was once worshiped as a goddess among her people; the one Goldmoon was to succeed. It was Tearsong, her departed mother.

"Hello, my child," Tearsong says.

[Jenara]

Taking the Ring up in her fingers Laurana slips it into a pocket before turning back, "The creatures will be at the pots!" She cries, moving close to Tanis.

[Nuke]

As Riverwind rushes to his crush intending to give his life to protect her, he cannot believe she could move so fast. Catching up to her to absorb any attack the dragon could muster he was not prepared to witness the soul consuming blue flame. In an instant, he had hope, could it be the staff saved her again, just like it had saved them before?

Coming back to the here and now when Sturm clutches his hand, he simply follows, the events still replaying over in his head.

[mltillis]

"If they are still there, they'll be trying to get out just like us!" Caramon dashes to the mage's side... "Brother we must flee! Whatever is here is not worth staying for!" He takes Raistlin's arm and begins pulling him towards the other party members.