20. Tests in the City of Lost Names

We continue exploring these caves, balancing hurry and being careful. This one area has a broken roof and s lot of mannequins and makes us think this was a hat making shop. As I go to check out the area, a golem pops up out of the ground and attacks us! We have to take it down, but it is a hard battle as these things are sturdy.
 
We continue to explore and head northeast. We enter an area that looks like storage, full of smashed barrels, shards of colored glass, and shelves. There used to be a staircase here, but it has collapsed. It is the first place we feel secure in since we got here, and it's out of the way a bit, which means we could probably rest here if we would like. But first, we look around and find a few 300-year-old bottles of wine! We all get one and Sterling opens his to try it. The wine is blue! But it is no longer tasty, but I'm sure someone would be interested in owning Itself wine.
 
We take a good rest, and Sterling again searches got magical weapons since he was upset he couldn't help against the golem. We get to exploring again, and head north and west. There are reptilian bones jutting out of the walls in every which way in this area. They are dragon bones, and the tunnel fills with the sound of rattling, as incomplete dragon skeletons burst forth, coming at us from the walls. The dragons hiss something in draconic, probably upset at the disturbance to their resting place. 4 skeletons attack us, working together, and we defeat them.
 
Thalassa tells us that this city was a dragon burial ground, and that is why they were angry - the flying city was using magic from the remains of the most reveared dead dragons! The flying city was ripped from the ground, and then it was crashed back into the earth. Of course the dragons were mad! This is why the metallic dragons left, and why Lord South failed the test from the gods, and the meteor was sent to the City if Israel. In addition, the King Priest was controlling people, even keeping them from having any negative thoughts. When the meteor came, it freed people from that mind control. Istar was a priest of Paladine! How could he?
 
As we move forward, we want to be as respectful as possible, especially if we see bones. Sterling is now very upset and vows to bring Lord South to justice! He was the one who failed the gods and everyone else. We keep heading down the SW passage, and find a flooded room. It is circular, and has images of people dancing around, tables and the like. All this a ways below where we stand, like this is a gallery window.
 
Sterling offers to go in to explore. Before he does, I insist that he use a rope so that he can stay safe. Plus, that way if we need to go down, we have a safer way, too.
 
Thalassa ties her ope around Sterling as he attempts to go down the 10ft to the flooded room floor. Water down there is about 3 ft tall, and there is a bit of oil floating stop it.
 
Poor Sterling is attacked by a stupid, ugly reptile slaad! It stands out of the water and uses magic to ignite the oil.
 
It then turns to us, sending a fireball our way. I try my best to dodge and pull out my crossbow - no one attacks my Sterling! We defeat the salad and all climb down. Next to where that slimy reptile was standing is a door. We wait there while we rest and Mal helps is all feel better before going forward. And this is the worst bar ever, with nothing interesting or value left.
 
Now that we look at it, this door doesn't have a lock. It is also rusted, so I use some oil from my lantern. That helps remove some of the rust and we are able to get the door open. We enter s room with a lot of chairs, and on the east wall there is a dragon skull. In the north wall, there is a bas relief of all the dragons bowing before the corpse of s bigger dragon. Again, here is where the most reveared dragons were buried.
 
As we walk in, I bow to the dragon head, as it assembled itself. It says something in draconic. As was depicted, I bow again. Thalassa helps me tell it why we are here, and that we are not enemies. I tell it about the danger to their eggs, and how we will help. It nods and disappears.
 
With nothing left to do in this area, we move on. The next area we find is no longer caverns, but something that was built. There is a door that doesn't require any oiling, and we find ourselves in a lab with live mice in cages, books, and potions. Arinona is worried that there is magic here. She finds a book that suggests rituals in it, something about an arcane gate. We also think there may be someone here, and I sure hope it is not a dragon army person.
 
Sterling and I think we should move forward. Also, if these mice are alive, it means someone must be caring for them. We head north to the door, and once we open, we confirm that there is someone here. As they don't attack us, we want to make a good impression. The room is furnished as a luxurious apartment, but everything looks old and well cared for.
 
The person here is in crimson robes, with their hood on. They wear a mask of a bleached skull. The voice is feminine, and she welcomed is. She holds out s blue gem towards us, and says she will start the assessment.
 
The gem shattered, and a misty form appears, resembling s dragon. Sterling is closest to it, and he moves away, trying to test if the dragon is going to attack us. It did, and hurt poor Sterling.
 
The air creature comes into contact with Sterling, Mal, and Thalassa, and flings the brothers in different directions. Once we are done, the woman asks for our forgiveness for the welcome, but explains that she wanted to appraise our abilities. She tells us it was necessary because we are not the first visitors to the fallen city, that recently people have been flocking here to the paradise of Istar. Her home has suddenly been remembered, but not the lessons. Her name is Demelin, High Wizard of Anyari. Sterling asks why she stayed when all else was destroyed. She says that because someone needed to remember the lesson of hubris, and that it is part of her penance, for the crimes of pride. She was one of the wizards that gave the city it's ability to fly, as part of an outreach program from the elven cities to Istar and the King-Priest. He believed that this city would be heaven in this world, it would be perfect and fly. And the people closest to the gods would live here. That was the purpose of the city.
 
She then tells us that she has been watching our progress since we went through the Path of Mirrors, whatever that was. She says that she was looking at our memories, and I feel uncomfortable. The Path of Mirrors are the chambers we entered after arriving in the tunnels through the cliffs. I ask if by "other visitors", she means the red dragon army. She nods. She says that there was an invasion of the city. She doesn't know who they are or what they want, but she isn't happy about them being there. We tell her that our goals align, then. Mal shows her the symbol that they carry, and she doesn't seem happy. She say s that they patrol the city heavily, but that they focus their activity in the city center, from a sizable mansion by the Threshold to Heaven, in the middle.
 
Arinona asks what Soth is looking for in this place, and Demelin is shocked. She confirm the name, and tells us that it would be best if Soth was gone from this place. She then asks about the lance, and we tell her the spirit told us that the lance needs to be redeemed. She says that in the NW quadrant we can find the temple of Paladine, and that is where we would be able to do that. Unfortunately, that part of the city has a collapsed acquafier and is partially flooded.
 
I her that we need to thwart the red dragon army, that they may be looking for dragon eggs, but she doesn't believe there are any here. We ask about any artifacts of power that may be here, but she says that the city itself is the treasure. I ask how they could be able to make the city fly again, and she says that we should stop them from learning how to control it. Arinona says that Soth brought back the cataclysmic fire, but she doesn't know what he would use it for. Mal asks if there is a way to free the spirits of the great dragons so that they magic cannot be used to power the city, but she simply tells us that we cannot allow them to control the city.
 
I ask where the controls to the city are, and she tells us again about the Threshold of Heaven, which is the city center, where the troops are concentrated. She says if we go out the northern door, we'll be able to see much of the city, because we are on a plateau. We go out, and look. There is a river around the center spire, and it is about 1/4 mile diameter at the base. There is another spire to the south, but she did not mention it. In the south, there looks to be some jungle.
 
Our first goal here is to bless the lance. She tells us to recall what made us who we are today. Arinona remembers her test of high sorcery, but Demelin tells her that she needs to remember. We watch as the the penny drops for her, and she is faced with a few tests. The first is whether she saves innocent people or magical knowledge in the form of books. She chooses to attack the two dragons that threaten the different groups so that they will go after her, and leave the books and the civilians alone.
 
Next she has to choose between helping a woman or her child. Since the woman is crushed, she can tell her child to leave. She casts polymorph on the mother, gives it to the child, and tells her that she will turn back once it is safe.
 
Last, there is a sky boat, and in it a father and son. The boat is full, and an elderly sage who is moving slowly doesn't have enough space to join them. He asks to be allowed to enter with this knowledge that he is bringing, and the people on board start to argue. She tells him to throw his books into the ship, and casts feather fall on the man and pushes him off, so that he will still land in safety.
 
Demelin asks us what we think about Arinona. She says that in their group, white robes represent wizards who do the right thing, red robes seek balance, and black robes care for themselves. Arinona's robes are currently crimson - should they continue to be that color?