Session 25: Draconic Sippy Cup Report

General Summary

The last hag falls; the group bind their wounds and painfully rise to their feet once more. AD2000 is impatient to find Zeke and marches off to find him after it's mentioned that the dormant form of a dragon is possible to make out in the gloom.   Reaching the back of the cave, Ralarzika is found, bound and blindfolded by strange and arcane-etched wraps but most assuredly dead. Remnants of his hoard are evident around his body, but he's otherwise seemingly unscathed and cause of death isn't clear. The bindings are a likely culprit, but are untranslatable.   A hammer - probably the one mentioned by Thornbank originally - is found to one side, broad scrapings indicating that it was dragged arduously to its current location. The group take turns attempting to move it but to no avail, and so with little else to do they collapse in a heap for a rest while options are weighed up. Jakuki studies the hammer while the others discuss the concept of interring Ralarzika's body or otherwise sealing the cave as a makeshift cairn, but without a method to demolish the cave it's unclear how this would be achieved. It's agreed to return to the villagers topside for the time being. The hags' bodies are checked over, and a trio of platinum pendants are discovered around their necks. Their gnarled hands are stripped of a handful of valuable but mundane rings.   The gathered denizens of the swamp village crowd around to hear news from the soggy and solemn party. Theia breaks the news and explains that Ralarzika has died, but that the hags and ogres found within the cave have been defeated. Tarral asks about the hoard, and upon being told that almost everything being gone comments that hags would have little stock in monetary wealth. This implies that another agent is involved, one who has made off with the treasure and still at large.   The pendants and bindings - made of human leather as it turns out - are presented to the village elder, known as Klomreth Ghecrath, an elderly amethyst dragonborn. Ongar has associated the hags' pendants with the wrappings, and with the elder's knowledge it is determined as a binding of life transference. The hags were sapping Zeke's life force over a long period of time, and the energy bound within the three pendants.   It's decided that the village is no longer likely to provide safe harbour for the denizens, and that they ought to be convinced to find refuge elsewhere. Plans are made to ship off to Berleben, the nearest "town", once people have been convinced of this course of action. Theia, Jakuki, 2K and Ceonwulf volunteer themselves to help bring any holdouts round to the notion, but it'll take time and everyone settles in for at least a day's wait.