Session 69: Libraries, Long Shots, and Large Families Report

General Summary

While waiting for Roy 's arm to heal, Jeeves and Roy decided to work on deciphering the book of coded notes they had found in the posessions of an evil necromancer some time before. While the others just relaxed, Roy and Jeeves spent a couple days working in the library, and made good progress, good enough to find a book with information about magic to decode a book. Roy , taking a grave risk, chose to cast a hastily prepared spell attempting to complete their task. The spell had some side effects, including transporting Roy to a nearby mountain peak; fortunately near enough for him to quickly return. Jeeves , however, was struck by a strange confusion, and wandered the halls of the ancient cloud castle for hours seeking to find Roy ; but only succeeding in becoming hopelessly lost. Returning to the library, Roy discovered Jeeves was gone, and sent Ricii (ree-key) the marvelous servant to find Jeeves . Near the end of the day The Cold Heart of Justice arrived with Ricii and spoke with Roy briefly. They thanked him for this book of notes that turned out to be information about the evil artifact, "The Throne of Hell", which the party had found in the Freehold of Alchemists, Artificers, and Aquamancers, and which they had asked The Cold Heart of Justice to remedy. The Cold Heart of Justice gave Roy the book he had found that had been so helpful, "The Magical Implications of Coded Messages; Linguistic deconstruction and implications to temporo-arcane constructions", as well as a tiny scroll to burn if they should ever manage to steal a large green gem from the hoard of Slursithiss (and anything else they might be able to carry). The scroll would take about a minute to burn, but then they would be recalled to this cloud castle. The Cold Heart of Justice wants them to deliver the gem and anything else they could carry from the ancient dragon's hoard as a means to so anger the green dragon as to cause them to foolishly attack and be destroyed. Roy agreed to this. The Cold Heart of Justice also asked Roy to return the legendary ring she had loaned him to restore his arm. Roy then returned to his friends while The Cold Heart of Justice sent a paper dragon to find Jeeves and lead him back to their friends.

The next morning, everyone, including all of Roisin Marshfield's family, gathered in the main audience chamber. The Cold Heart of Justice admonished everyone to walk quickly, step aside once through, and be careful. Once everyone was lined up and ready, The Cold Heart of Justice roared a single incomprehensible word that reverberated in air and mind, taking on light that focused in the center of the chamber where a purple sphere erupted, before tearing open to reveal a portal with forest ruins on the other side. As people hurried through, there was a sudden disruption as someone tripped and about 10 people fell into a pile. Roisin Marshfield and Boris charged back through to help the fallen get back up. With Roisin Marshfield's leadership, and Boris brute strength, they managed to get everyone through, and just barely dove through themselves before the portal closed. They found themselves in a ruined structure in an alpine forest, with over an hundred of Roisin Marshfield's relatives gathered nearby.

After about an hour getting everyone organized, the group began to trek north; seeking their destination. After a chilly, but clear and quiet morning, a quick lunch break beside a mountain stream, and much of the afternoon, Roy noticed what, at first, appeared to be a bird circling the group above. The "bird" quickly resolved into a huge three-headed dragon, however, and Roy called out for everyone to scatter and hide. Roisin Marshfield took up the cry, and Gearold began barking orders as everyone sought cover. Boris noticed a second one flying high above, but took little notice. The dragon flew into range, and unleashed a storm breath that washed over the group with lightning, thunder, and storm winds. Jeeves , his intellect enabling him to forsee the flow of energy, dodged the effect. Roisin Marshfield evaded the impact with the help of her magic scarf. Boris used a divine boon to become immune to damage from this chaotic elemental force, but was still launched back a good distance. Roy , however, failed in his attempt to catch the breath, as the force and wind slammed him into a tree nearby and laying on the ground shaken. Unfortunately, roughly a dozen of Roisin Marshfield's family were also caught in the massive blast, and completely destroyed. Roy unleashed living shadows, but the dragon shook off the effects. Roisin Marshfield yelled out for her family to get far away, then ordered Roy to attack. Roy struck with a pair of force blasts, pummeling the creature and invoking a divine boon to also blind the creature. Jeeves counjured a longbow from his magical hands, and applied an acid coat to a few arrows as he repositioned for a better shot against this flying threat. At this point the clear skies suddenly became cloudy and storm winds began to blow. Boris threw his hammer, but failed to connect. A bolt of lightning then launched from the clouds and struck Boris, but his divine boon protected him. The dragon then flew down to just 60 feet, and launched another blast of storm breath. Roisin Marshfield again evaded the blast with help from her scarf, Roy again attempted to catch the breath but failed again, Jeeves foresaw the breath and dodged aside again, and Boris was knocked down but unharmed thanks to his divine boon. The creature appeared able to target the group even while blind, and flew back to about 90 feet in the air. Roy fired off a highly empowered phase bolt using the resources of his powerful magic ring, and blasted the creature, although it dodged the worst of the impact. Roisin Marshfield again ordered Roy to attack, and he struck the dragon once, a glancing blow. The weather then turned worse, beginning to rain as the winds began to gust. Jeeves misstrung his bow and had to spend a moment restringing it, then prepared to dodge the next assault, but also ducked under a tree thinking that would protect him from lightning. Jeeves immediately learned that trees will not protect one from lightning, in fact making it worse, and despite his preparation he was blasted heavily by a fresh lightning bolt conjured from the storm clouds above. Roy used another divine boon to help Boris strike true, and Boris then used Might of Borelius to strike the dragon with a mighty blow, but missed the return stroke. The dragon flew to 60 feet altitude, and remained there for the moment. Roy attempted to immolate the dragon, but it shook off the worst of the damage, and avoided being set ablaze. The weather increased to a raging lightning storm, as Roisin Marshfield ordered Boris to attack again. Boris used Might of Borelius again and struck true, but the dragon remained aloft as Jeeves launched an arrow that flew wide due to the winds. The dragon was suddenly struck by a burst of lightning from the storm, healing some if its wounds. Jeeves moved away from the tree, and fired a brace of arrows into the creature's wings piercing flesh and burning with acid. The storm then increased to a maelstrom and blew everyone but Boris off their feet as lightning struck each of them. Boris' divine boon again protected him, and Roisin Marshfield evaded the bolt entirely. Jeeves was mildly injured and Roy was staggered again. Boris again launched his hammer aloft, empowered by magic, and struck powerfully, staggering the creature, but it remained aloft even as the return stroke struck again. The dragon breathed storm again, Boris completely evaded the blast, Roisin Marshfield evaded again, Jeeves saw it coming and dodged behind cover, but Roy , despite dodging the worst of the damage, was struck powerfully enough to bring him down, but Roisin Marshfield cried out with the magic in her blood and gave him the strength to keep standing. Roy conjured a time vortex, but the dragon resisted the effect. Roisin Marshfield again ordered Roy to attack, so he blasted the creature twice with magical energy, the energy split in flight, and all three heads were blasted away. Boris was just boasting he had evaded all damage, but two more blasts of lightning fired out from the storm, one hit Jeeves and the other struck Boris.

The group quickly took stock and found that a total of 23 people were blasted by dragon breath or lightning, including 4 of the hexadecatuplets of whom Roisin Marshfield was so fond. Roy quickly magically preserved the corpse in a magically cold pocket dimension. Boris, suddenly remembering the second dragon, looked up and cried out a warning. The second dragon flew down and landed where the body had been, and immediately attacked Roy , who had just caused the corpse of its mate to disappear. This dragon tore into Roy , who conjured a magical shield, but still struck with a powerful bite and claw combination, and would have brought the wizard down but Roisin Marshfield again cried out, giving Roy the strength to continue for just a bit longer. Roisin Marshfield ordered Boris to attack, an attack that struck strongly. The dragon then beat its wings blasting at Roy and Jeeves as it flew upward, but both wizard and savant dodged the flashing wings. Boris then launched his hammer, striking directly, and again with the return strike. then moved next to Jeeves . The storm intensified, Boris and Jeeves were both struck by a pair of lightning bolts as Roy was struck once. Roy was blasted, but remained standing, Jeeves and Boris were both blasted heavily as well. Jeeves , always a physician, stepped over to Roy and healed his wounds. Jeeves then moved back next to Boris. Roy conjured chains of justice, but the dragon resisted the effects. The dragon then flew higher and unleashed storm breath again, made more devastating by the storm, and both Roy and Boris were knocked unconscious, though Roisin Marshfield and Jeeves dodged the effect entirely.