Meeting a local diety

Discovery, Exploration

With the confirmation of a supply of leyline essencei wht which to consistently power thte twisted tower, one particular challenge blocks the forward path of these adventurers; the lack of a catalyst with which to jumpstart the portal that connect them back to Treddleton. Such a thing would only be in the possession of a local diety, and thus required making a diplomatic contact with them or forcibly overcoming them, though neither task could be attempted without finding them first.

With the help of the twisted tower, the expedition members were given a small measure by which to find the local deity, sending them northwards towards a large flaming mountain from which lava could be found constantly erupting, though the trees and flora around it would not burn, and wherever the lava cooled shortly after would follow the growth of various plants in bloom, leaving the area in a constant state of growth and destruction - a phenomena suitable for the widespread power of the magic aura that permeated it.   Attempting to find their way inside, the party eventually located a cavern entrance that was covered by a massive waterfall made purely of lava whose eart scorched the skin of all creatures that approached, making it a daunting prospect to attempt passage through, and a test of their spirits. A test however, that Mudoro was completely content with cheating on, the young wyrmling instead creating a bridge over top of the entrance and spreading the curtains of the waterfall to allow the party to enter.   Probing into the depths, the party quickly encountered a strange creature which lived there - a native creature which would be identified as being a "Lurva Monch" which would attack the explorers in fear of them attempting to steal their eggs, an act - which would draw the naturophile Ire's attention and result in her stealing just that, at least after killing their queen, and harvesting the area for all of it's pressure gems.   Yet, the lurva monches and other creatures who had appeared, had clearly moved in after some event had occurred as the mildly familiar architecture of their Elaine could be found inside the volcano itself, and even one of their constructs could be found secreted away in a hidden hall. With Anise being the first to find it, and unknowingly engage in combat with it.   Through the pained metallic cries, and her own abilities of unraveling the information their past provided, Anise would end up realizing that what she was fighting was not just some simple construct in which an elemental had been intertwined, but was actually the binding of a once-living Elaine soul into Metal and steel.   Yet, no matter her best attempts to communicate with the creature, she discovered that it appeared to be afflicted with some sort of madness, and as she leeched it's magical aura, she could feel it leaching into her own mind - visions of torment, of suffering. A sense of betrayal like a scalpel in her heart and mind.   Poisoning the spellthief, she even felt so afflicted with the madness that the allies with whom she had fought appeared to become into shapes of elementals, and nearly drove her to attack them as well - at least until the maddening aura was discarded and left from her mind. Still, such a torturous mentality's only peace would be in death, and with the aide of her party present there; they would attempt to inflict it upon the creature.   This would however, prove a challenging task as the Jadetech Nightmare was fully equipped with resonating crystals that enhanced it's powers, and unless destroyed faster then they were made, then the rate of their creation would empower the creature such that it could devastate the party.   Yet, with the marital capabilities of Irene, Pennie, Mudoro and Vivian, they were able to continually harm and damage these crystals. Preventing the creature from becoming too overpowering.   Not only this, but with the creature's creation of various mirror images throughout the room, Dr D would show the capabilities of his eldritch blasts and send them chaining throughout the room and breaking many of these illusions, and thus opening the opportunity that anise would need to enact her strikes, smashing what remained and her fists beating on the creature directly, warping the metal, and breaking the machinery.   Only after minutes of intense combat, would it finally end over top of the collapsed framework of the nightmare with the party victorious. The machine's last words whirring out a softly spoken "thank... you." in the language of the elain, as for the creature itself, it's own nightmare had finally ended.   But this was not the last of the presence of the elaine; the party would enter a strange bedroom, a double-bed, with a bookshelf, a table, and a chess table. Otherwise ordinary. It seemed a pointless end to their journey, and a disappointment to find it, and not the creature of their goal.   Yet, the books in this room would tell a story - one that had taken place several thousands of years before these adventurers had arrived, and hinting at the timeless nature of the place they were in. The local deity - a primal lava dragon, had had its daughter stolen and taken away, by whom - the notes did not say.   His daughter missing, The dragon's rage was immense, and had only one outlet - it blamed the Elaine, the creatures that it had allowed within its caverns, the creatures it had once trusted, and the vulnerability by which his daughter had been stolen. Unwelcome in its lands, this would eradice the primary presence of the Elaine within the territory they had once obtained dominance over. Though several buildings and landmarks still remain functional, the cleansing fury of the local deity eradicated all foothold they had and drove the vast majority of the Elaine northward. Reading further into the books, they would also discover that in his own shame, the man who was the primary contact of the deity, and the master of this chess game, had ended his life in dishonor.   But, sometimes a message could be carried across generations, across culture, and across people. Understood from these books, was also the method by which the hidden door to which the dragon's lair could be entered. And it was by employing this, that the adventurers entered the depths of the volcano.   The true heart of this volcano opened up into a wide room, spanning over several hundred feet in radius, and at the creature that lived within it - the local deity, could only reveal his head unto those that had trespassed into his domain. Yet the barest revelation of his head unleashed a wave of lava so large that it rushed against the dome, and threatened to overwhelm each one of the adventurers there.   A poor end for them all.   Yet, a barrier would erupt with the lava to break upon it, cloven in two it would break apart, and spread away from the group. With bravery in heart and mind, they would approach the dragon directly, and attempt to commune with it in their own ways; though the beast's rumbling voice threatened to shatter their skulls and rupture their ear-drums with every sentence it would speak.   Anise among them, would speak unto the beast - for she had been entrusted with knowledge gifted to her by her own request by her god, telling the dragon a twinned pair of secrets, both of which would earn her great favor, the first secret spoken was: That he had not yet outlived his daughter. The second, was that though he lived where the sun fell, his daughter was found in the lands of the rising sun.   This information, was more precious than any treasure that the dragon had been gifted unto this point, and did well to abate it's cantankerous fury of the intrusion into it's home. Yet, the actions of all who entered it's abode did well to remind the dragon of the outside world of which it had once been fond, and the land that it was entrusted to protect, now curious - it offered them all a question, as they had done him one favor, it would return that favor back to them.   For Anise - the woman wanted knowledge, to find out to where the wanderer, an avatar representing an aspect of her god, would take its rest, and thus was given the information, and a timepiece with no capsules.   For Dr. D - the man had expressed a unique desire, one that came from the core. Desiring freedom from slavery, the dragon recognized the unyielding unbound desire of life to be free, and in appreciation of this gift, gave Dr D. a key ring, with only a single key.   For Mudoro, the dragon was reminded of his younger self, the boundless creativity and spirit - offering the creature the armaments that could fit over top of a large claw, and though he was too young for it then, the dragon now has an understanding of the power contained within it.   For Pennie Weaver, the gift she was given was the binding of a book without pages, as she sought to record the world around her, and make observations of what she saw. The dragon 'appreciating' such gifts.   Finally, fulfilling the requests of these adventurers, the dragon gave unto them a crystal source - one that could be integrated back into their twisted tower and let them reconnect back home with his blessing, a final piece which would allow them to depart.   Though, once they all had all finally left, the dragon pondered for a time, thinking over what it had witnessed. Outsiders as they were, it was reminded of the presences long forgotten or unmade. and the promises and pacts he had once made. Certainly, Anise had resolved the source of his displeasure, but could such an ancient beast be so easily swayed? Certainly not.   Thus, not only did these adventurers carry his blessing with them, but so walking the blessings of gods amongst them, whether it was the son and daughter of Milani, the scribe of Nethys, the wanderer of wanderers, the platinum dragon's favored, or Shub niggurath's Daughter; though they would remain unaware of such a thing for now, though the mainland would surely continue to unravel their outer shells to reveal the truth underneath.