CM: C11E2 - Zikran's Seaside Laboratory Report

General Summary

After the wyverns left, it was easy going to reach the coast again, near the coral spire that Gazre-Azam said would mark the location of the seaside cave that housed Zikran's Laboratory. A quick search revealed natural stone steps that led down to the water along a switchback trail. Lyra quickly worked her druidic magic, enabling the Planeswalkers to breath underwater for the next 24 hours - just in case. Upon reaching sea-level, the party began to wade through the chest-deep water (or swim in Lyra's case) towards the mouth of a cave that was now obvious from their new vantage point. As they crossed the threshold, the light from outside quickly faded. They entered a larger cavern, roughly triangular in shape, that was still mostly filled with water. As those who could see in the dim light and darkness beyond glance about they saw that a passage continued out of the cavern to the south-east, and that two dead bodies lay huddled against the back wall directly east of where the party had entered. The party decided to risk some natural light and as they explored the cavern and bodies a bit more closely, Toby De Term'nd took note of a series of deep gashes in the rock ledge by the south-eastern exit. Jayce examined them and knew immediately what they were - the marks left by the claws of a young dragon! At this point the party decided to consult with the djinni and summoned him out of his tome. He was a bit disoriented at first, and was quite adamant that no dragon had resided here when last he set eyes on the cave-turned-laboratory. However, once he adjusted to the current state of things, he was able to direct the party to a secret passage in the north-eastern corner of the cavern. The passage was dry, as it was above sea level, and led only about 15 feet before ending at another conceal door. As they listened at the door, all seemed silent at first, but then they caught the faint sound of soft scratching, like scales dragging across a stone floor. After hushed and hurried discussion the party decided to douse the light, move to the far end of the passage, and have Bardak use his mage hand to pull the lever to open the secret door. It slid open silently and, after being blessed by several of his companions, Toby carefully crept in to see what lay ahead. To his relief, he found that the dragon they assumed would be within was in fact a young bronze - dangerous to be sure, but not evil or vindictive, and possibly amenable to diplomacy if he played his cards right. Eventually Toby succeeded in appealing to Ashgarlyth's sense of justice, and was granted leave to investigate the former laboratory - so long as they noone even THOUGHT of taking any of the dragon's treasures with them. Their investigation was fairly fruitful. They discovered that the dais had been built to hold some kind of device, and allow it to move and pivot via a system of grooves and tracks. They also discovered that the wizard, Zikran, had become paranoid that rivals had discovered the location of his laboratory and so had beat a hasty retreat some years before. In other notes, a journal, and a map that they found the party was able to piece together that he most likely had gone further south into the Cloud Peaks, seeking the ruins of an ancient Cloud Giant Keep that had once housed a clan of cloud giants that were favoured by one of the Wind Dukes of the Elemental Plane of Air. Gazre-Azam shared that, in addition to his research into an elemental-powered cannon, Zikra was also obsessed with creating a flying fortress from which to conquer his enemies. Armed with their newfound knowledge, the Planeswalkers bid farewell to Ashgarlyth (truthfully, the dragon politely told them they had now worn out their welcome) and headed south-east along the Coastway for a day and half. Their destination was Nashkel, a mining settlement nestled between the shoulders of the Cloud Peaks at the northern end of the pass through them. Here they intended to find cold weather and mountaineering supplies, and maybe a guide if they were lucky, before heading west into the mountains in search of the cloud giant ruins and Zikran, their ultimate quarry.

Missions/Quests Completed

The PCs successfully negotiated with the young bronze dragon, Ashgarlyth, and discovered clues to Zikran's likely whereabouts, as well as his ultimate designs.