23. The defeat of Belephaion

Now that the intel headquarters manor here is neutralized (at least for the time being), we need to figure out what to do. We cannot simply leave, as soon a patrol will come back and find everyone dead in here. Our main goal is to stop the dragon army from their main objective - to get the city flying again. While we're here, it would probably be good to figure out what is the plan with the dark temple and Lord Soth. For the time being, I content myself from gathering up all the pieces of intel I can from here, then focusing on bringing as much of that silver that we found as we can.
 
Approaching the central spire is going to be tricky. We can't just go there and attack. We could do some recon, looking like dragon army soldiers, and figuring out what they are up to. Especially since that area has so many flying units. I also think we should set fire to this manor and create a distraction WHILE we cover up our tracks. To do so, we gather as much flammable things as we can. Torches, any of the fats from the butcher, and all the hay outside. And we need to deal with the prisoners, which means we'll have them be quiet and cooperate while we move them to an abandoned manor to be found later.
 
Sterling is tired of having to wear Dragon Army armor, and not be able to wear his properly. I tell him we are so close to not having to do that anymore, but Arinona mentions that she can make us all look like dragon army soldiers, which is even better. This way, we'll be able to wear whatever we want. We get to work, since by our estimates, the next patrol is going to arrive in about 30 minutes, and this place needs to be an inferno by then. It works, and we leave as a new patrol approaches, and the guards that were stationed here are also caught unawares. We find a place to put the prisoners, rest a little, and then head on. We keep an eye out for troop movements, since we still want to avoid as many troops as possible on the way to the central spire.

Arinona goes ahead and casts the spell on us. She tells us that anyone looking will see us as a mix of human engineers. Thalassa looks like a guy pushing around a wheelbarrow, on account of her size. This illusion will last 8 hours, and we all sigh in relief. Again, as careful as possible, we head towards the central spire, taking the area's north bridge. From there, we see some large dragon bones between the buildings, and we leave the alone. The spire floats about 30 ft higher than anything else, and all the bridges that lead to it are collapsed. We observe it a little, and it turns out that no land units go across, which means that we'll need to climb the boulders and jump up that way. Thalassa offers to go first and send a rope back, and Sterling gallantly offers to carry me on his back while he jumps, which I obviously accept. We're not too sure that ropes will help here, since everything is floating everywhere, and we'll have trouble actually getting anything anchored.
 
Flying overhead while we do this are 3 dragonelle patrol units, one of which swoops by closer to take a look at us while we jump. Seeing simple dragon army soldiers, he leaves us alone. When we finally get to the tower, we see 4 draconian guards standing in front of the doors. At the top of the floating island is a grey obelisk, a few hundred feet over the plaza. There are crystalline windows that punctuate here and there. We approach the tower doors, and the guards challenge us for the password. We tell them, and go inside. In there are murals all over the walls, depicting idyllic life in the flying city. On the west wall there is a handsome, long-haired man with flowing robes. To the north there is a single door, and to the south a set of double doors. We see a small draconian who looks like a spell caster holding a trident. There is also a large creature that smells of death and looks like a creation made of bones. It has a scorpion tail, wings, and huge claws.
 
The bozak asks us our business. I tell him we have a report for Belephaion, and he tells me that we should report to him. I tell him that we cannot locate the general that was at the manor, and the bozak simply says that he is replaceable. Thalassa then pipes up with "What am I going to to do with this goop?" At that moment, the officer goes to look in the wheelbarrow. As we know the illusion isn't great under scrutiny, this is my chance to create a distraction. I pretend to fall and get hurt, holding my arm and crying in pain. The officer tells me that there are no medics, and moves to come help set the bone. Sterling intervenes, saying he was previously a medic, and starts to bind my arm. I recover by reminding him that we have the goop, "Bob, we still have to deliver the goop to the 2nd floor, right?" The officer thinks a little, but I think he's tired of us, and tells us to go through the northern door.
 
In this new room are levers, a console, and some elaborate symbol carved into the floor, radiating orange light. Arinona studies this strange orange view of the tower from above. Mal looks at the control panel, and asks Arinona to look at it too. Still, we have no real clue what it is or what it does. We leave it all alone, and go to the door in the middle that leads to the central stairs, climbing to the 2nd floor.
 
In this floor, there is a room with 9 blue crystalline columns, all very slender and sparking lightning arcs unpredictably between them. I walk up, and Mal pulls me away from a column before it zaps me. Arinona studies the columns, but there doesn't seem to be anything, as she doesn't say much. I walk into the room, get hit by lightning, and then Sterling has us back out of the room. He suggests that someone go downstairs, flip switches, and see if it has any effect on the lightning. Thalassa puts her hands on Sterling and says a few words to help protect him from lightning. He opens the door, and runs through the room until he finds a door. On the other door, there are some stone columns with crystal bands running among them. Between the columns are insect-like constructs, and sometimes the lightning arcs between the column and the construct. He runs past these to a different small console table, but is unable to stop any of the lightning.
 
Arinona goes next, finds the console, and studies it. She cannot turn it off, but she can control the drones. Each of us in turn then try to make it to the room, avoiding the lightning as best we can. Next, we take the stairs that will lead us to the 3rd floor. On this floor there is a round table, and on it what looks to be the city, before the flying city fell. It shows 100s of houses, the image coming from these 4 different lights hanging on different walls. But if you look closely, some of the sections of Anyari flicker, the areas that have been damaged by the fall. We know these sections are ruined, since we've seen them. Sterling uses the lance to touch the hologram, but nothing happens.
 
From here there are two doors. I listen at the first one, and hear more buzzing and crackling. In the north one, I hear whispering voices speaking draconic. I tell the others, and we go west, again avoiding any lightning. In this room are comfortable chairs with consoles, and two more console tables. One of these is buzzing and sparks with damage. There are also 3 skulls flying in midair, and they attack us. Soon, they are casting fireballs at us. Poor Mal goes down, and Sterling in mad, and kicks their butts in retaliation. Thalassa tells us that the skulls cannot be defeated, unless we use holy water, which is something we hear from stories. But to make any, we need Mal. Thalassa then spends time making sure the skulls can't reassemble themselves, but with the explosion, the draconics in the other room soon come to check in on us. The first one uses his breath, and I go down. I am restored, with Sterling making sure I feel better, and I make sure to show him all my injuries, since we're taking care of me. He's a very attentive nurse.
 
We decide since we cannot defeat the skulls, we will lock them in the room, and proceed to where the draconics came from. In this room there is a table that shows the topography of the area around here, the wasteland. We can even see big groups of soldiers moving south - both our troops and the dragon army. I try, but cannot use the images to squish any dragon army soldiers. Again, we press on.
 
On this floor, there is a depiction of Kalahman, but in a mirror. There is a black-robed wizard who is watching that mirror from one of the 4 consoles. Sterling tells him that today is his day to die, and the wizard tells us that he is forced to be here. That sounds very suspicious to me. He is Lohezet, and says that he has been forced to figure out the magics behind the tower. He says he doesn't care about the dragon army, but the research. He also says that we are willing to kill Belephaion, he'll leave the city without complaint. I think that someone thinks they can get us to do their dirty work. Unfortunately, the rest of the party seems to be ok with this idea.
 
I decide to ask questions while we're here. I ask about Lord Soth, and he says that no one commands him. Soth claims to work on behalf of Tahkisis, and has been aiding the dragon army in his own way. Sterling tells him to leave now, and that if he's still here once we are done with Belephaion, we'll slay him. But Lohezet says that if he leaves, then he won't know if we killed the other, and he prefers to wait here. We continue to discuss options, as if killing both is not the correct answer! I tell them that they are foolish to even consider this. Lohezet, hearing this, says that he can see we walked through the room with his skulls, and that he offers us a place to rest and restore before facing Belephaion.
 
Sterling asks if we have Lohezet's word that he won't leave with the dragon army, or sick them on us, and he says yes. Arinona steps up and asks him to swear upon his magic. Begrudgingly, Lohezet does so, showing us his magical symbol and swearing. Sterling then decides we should rest. Lohezet then tells us the password to avoid the electricity from the columns, "cetteth", but asks us not to tell anyone in the army about this.
 
Since we're doing this, I ask about Belephaion's weakness. Lohezet tells us that it is his arrogance and pride, since he believes himself to be a conduit for the queen herself. He is a priest, which is odd since I thought Mal was the only priest around here. I ask him how the city flies, and he said it is a very complex contraption. Having the helm helps, and he has been helping with the magics to repair it. I ask why, and he says that it is an unstoppable citadel, a weapon that you can control - who would not want that? He says that it is a marvelous work of magic, and he has been able to reactive all the magic devices so far. The city will be able to fly, but Belephaion is waiting from orders from the general, who is leading the army against Kalahmann. I ask if there is anything we can do to keep the city from flying, and he says that Belephaion will now control it. He says that the various consoles control some level of things here, but they are more fail-safes than the actual controllers. Flying is controlled by the helm, because the original constructor did not want to share his power. I ask if he has found any of the magic that the king-priest used to control his people, and Lohezet says that it was the king and his clergy that did that by domination magics. He then turns to Arinona and says, "you can see what damage too much good can do," and she agrees. He has some treasures on top of the console in front of him, artifacts and control components, all worth a fortune. There is a shiny gem that looks useful with a lot of light, and some kind of candle that is not lit but is covered in runes. He says that the candle is a useless bauble, and hands it to Arinona.
 
We rest, and Lohezet is true to his word. We are ready to go fight, and we go up. At the top of the tower there is a throne, and on it is Belephaion, crowned with the dragon queen's symbol. He has two sivets with him. The throne itself has jewels, and as he brings his hands down, we can feel the city start to fly. Sterling charges in.
 
Turns out, Belephaion is a blue dragon, and we defeat it. It still has the crown, so I dash there, abandoning the sivet, and take the crown to try and land the city properly. It was NOT the crown, and I sit on the throne, which thrums under me. That lying wizard! I cannot stop the fall or control the city!
 
We saved the day, but the city tried to rise, and that effort is tearing the city apart. Different parts of the city are rising to the sky at different rates, everything is shaking. The city is violently shuttering, and inside the tower we hear a crack. I stuff the crown in Belaphaion's bag, and carry these with me as we run down stairs. We did not see Lohezet, nor any of the other guards on the way down. We reach the Threshold of Heaven's plateau, and see disaster everything , with everything falling and chaos reigning through the city. Anything that can fly tries to escape. To the south, we see the violet flames lit inside the dark temple, and it flies atop an island. The windows all glow in a violet flame, and the undead dragon and Soth circle the blazing temple citadel, as the temple continues to rise into the sky, the only intact part of the city.
 
We need to escape!