RoT 25: "Xonthal's Tower 6 - Into the Dungeon"

You have defeated a group of elementals – one fire, two earth – and are ready to continue deeper into the dungeon to find Iskander and the Blue Dragon Mask.

 

As you continue deeper into the dungeon you discover several rooms where Xonthal left behind experiments, notes, and an impressive library containing tomes on many different subjects. But in all of it it’s clear his focus was very much on elementals and the elemental planes. You even find a pair of giant hourglasses and notes on transmutation and time manipulation but that was abandoned in favor of his favorite topic. Xonthal also took precautions as in the library you were attacked by animated constructs of paper swarms. But despite that you still manage to collect a map of the Elemental Plane of Fire worth some 500gp (to the right kind of collector) and note that the entire library is worth easily 50,000gp – you pocket a few of the more valuable tomes on each topic.

 

In addition to elementals, you also come across an Efreeti named Taraz whom Xonthal trapped here. He’s contemplating a chessboard when you arrive and at first is friendly and conversational, hoping to secure your aid in escaping. Unfortunately for him, Brehana casts detect thoughts and determines that he is lying about being powerless (but is telling the truth about not being able to leave this room due to the wards around it drawn in salt). When his bluff is called, he chooses to attack instead of continuing to talk and you are forced to take him down – so in essence you do free him, but through death.

 

When you finally find Iskander, he’s already dead having bled out for his wounds with the cultists he fought with on the balcony, but he is clutching the Blue Dragon Mask. While unfortunate that you could not also rescue him and bring him before the Council of Waterdeep for questioning, you have at least finally gotten your hands on one of the Dragon Masks that Severin reportedly needs to summon Tiamat by combing them into The Mask of the Dragon Queen.

 

Blue Dragon Mask in hand you use the teleporter to make you way all the way back to the Sundial where you can now see a clear path back to the village. But something is wrong. You hear screaming and see people running around trying to hide. As you exit the Maze into the village you see him – an adult blue dragon is attacking the village. “The mask, fools!”, he says. “The mask is what I’ve come for. Give it to me, and I’ll leave these crawling ants with their miserable lives. The Queen is returning! Who are you to hope to stop her? Give me the mask!”

 

Malice takes a long hard look at the beast and realizes this is not just a random blue dragon. This is Lenithon, the one and same blue dragon that aided in the attack on Greenest nearly a year and half ago. The blue dragon he’s sworn to track down for attacking his home! Not only is Malice not about to give up the Blue Dragon Mask, but now he’s finally going to get his vengeance!

 

Lenithon tries to use his Frightful Presence but you all have fought too many dragons at this point to be that easily swayed, although Rikon does succumb to the fear. Pubert tries to engage but the beast refuses to land so Pubert is forced to use his harpoon to try to pull him down. He manages to hook the dragon deep enough that he starts to climb up the rope to be able to attack it with Hazirawn. Meanwhile, Leitenuber and Aufzuguber, the twin gold dragons that brought you here happen to be returning from their patrol route and join the fight, meeting Lenithon in the air. Malice and Brehana combine magics to damange Lenithon’s mind and drive him mad to the point that in his arrogance, he is ill prepared for The Iron Company and easily falls.

 

Malice claims the head, and you proceed to collect the hide to complete Malice’s ever-growing suit of dragon skin clothing of various colors. You even provide meat to Kari at the Bluethrone Inn & Tavern so her menu featuring “dragon” will be real dragon meat for the first time in ages.