DD Chapter 9: What’s Rightfully Theirs

Opening

Darkjaw & Nolya walk through the expanses of the Underworld. During their travels, Darkjaw gifts Nolya the Spear of Vengeance & the Energy Dress, but works on the Spear so that it channels Poison Damage instead of fire. Using his Draconic Essence Projection book, he performs the work well enough so that the weapon deals 2d6 poison damage in addition to its normal properties. Nolya accepts both gifts, offering her lover one in return; an Amulet of Deadspeak. This will allow Darkjaw to speak to the dead that he will be responsible for commanding, as the couple has agreed on a specific thought: Warvillus is no longer useful with Nolya’s powers, and must be removed from power at once. Any vocal abilities that Darkjaw has will be expanded to affect undead while wearing the amulet. Meanwhile, Nolya prepares her spells, replacing Resistance with Shillelagh and adding Spare the Dying as cantrips. For her other spells, she prepares the following in addition to her existing list:

• Replaced Purify Food & Drink with Bone Wall (1st level)
• Replaced Protection from Energy with Erupting Earth (3rd level)
• Replaced Divination & Freedom of Movement with Greater Invisibility & Stone Shape (4th level, swapped 7th-level Forest Circle spells for the Underdark Circle spells)
• Learned Cloudkill & Insect Plague (5th level Underdark Circle spells)
• Learned 5 more spells after the Soul Beacon ritual; Create Undead (6th level, from Spear of Vengeance), Create Willing/Unwilling Undead (6th level, from Spear of Vengeance), Soul Recall (6th level, had prepared it in the Underworld and have permanently learned it through the soul transference), Soul Vine (4th level) & Haunted Forest (5th level, during her Underworld adventures).

While walking, Nolya explains that to get back to the mortal realm, they must go to a place where the barriers between realms are thinnest. They also need sufficient dark energy to power the Soul Beacon, which shouldn’t be as hard from this side. With a nat20 Religion check, but a crit fail on Arcana, Nolya gets them to a decent place to do their work. However, they are short on a usable source of dark energy, until Darkjaw sees a Reaper Wyvern in the sky. He doesn’t truly know if it will help, but he says fuck it and fires an arrow at the dragon.

Combat: Darkjaw & Nolya vs. Reaper Wyvern (2,300 XP)

Initiative

• Darkjaw: 13
• Nolya: 14
• Reaper Wyvern: 16

Round 1

• Wyvern: Swoops down to Darkjaw and makes a stinger attack, but it clinks off Darkjaw’s armor as he dodges. The Wyvern makes a claw attacks, but misses again. Flies up 20 ft above ground.
• Nolya: Casts Call Lightning on the wyvern, who fails and takes 15 lightning damage.
• Darkjaw: transforms into a werewolf. He looses a Lightning Arrow on the wyvern, to add insult to injury. Deals 10/1/4 fire/18 lightning/4 Favored enemy (37 total). Then looses a Vine Grapple arrow, dealing 9 piercing/3 fire/4 favored enemy (16 total) and creating a vine rope between the wyvern and Darkjaw. The dark lord grabs hold, and with successful Athletics, begins climbing up to his prey.

Round 2

• Wyvern: Shakes and successfully breaks Darkjaw’s grapple mid-climb, then swoops in for a stinger attack with aerial advantage. Deals 13 piercing/13 poison damage to Darkjaw, who takes half from the poison due to his armor (19 total). The wyvern then bites at his skewered prey, barely hitting the flailing weredrake, dealing 14 piercing.
• Nolya: Still concentrated, she calls another lightning bolt onto the wyvern, putting Darkjaw in range as well. Darkjaw dodges the bolt while the wyvern takes it in full (13 to wyvern, 3 to Darkjaw thanks to armor). Keeps her concentration, prepared to finish it off with the sky
• Darkjaw: Airborne and falling, Darkjaw looses a dual Vine Grapple-Acidic Injection arrow at the wyvern, but only the Acidic Injection arrow hits for 5 piercing/2 fire/14 acid/4 favored enemy (25 total). Wyvern failed Con save and will take 1d8 acid every turn. Deciding that his life doesn’t matter as long as Nolya succeeds, Darkjaw fires his last Vine Grapple arrow, sticking the wyvern through the neck as Darkjaw drags it to the ground. Darkjaw takes 36 bludgeoning damage from the fall, but has brought Nolya her prize at the end of the tether.

Aftermath

Nolya drops concentration on Call Lightning and rushes over to Darkjaw. Using her magic, she successfully reforms Darkjaw’s last Vine Grapple arrow, placing it back into her lover’s quiver. She then casts Cure Wounds (1st-level) on him, giving 12 HP. She then returns to the dying wyvern and touches her hand to its head, casting Spare the Dying to stabilize the dragon. She looks to her lover, “We need this creature alive for the ritual to work. We must also fortify this place, so that it can be used indefinitely.”
The two get to work on the ritual circle around the wyvern; drawing ancient Deadspeech markings in the black soil, forming the lines with scattered bones, and placing the Soul Beacon in a hole dug at the base of the coiled dragon. They prepare a makeshift hut out of bones and rock, protecting the ritual site. . Finally, Nolya draws her spear and explains to Darkjaw what must be done.
”My love, if what you’ve told me is true, then Warvillus has already synced my new body to this Soul Beacon. Since you have brought it here, we can combine the dark energy we harness from this wyvern to activate the device. Then, I will cast a modified cast of Soul Recall, which should project our souls together into the new body you have formed. From there, as i understand, we will share the body; I will have control during the daytime, while you get control at night. While one soul is operating this body, the other can remain in the mind on standby, or will materialize here, so it is important that the beacon and this hut remain intact. Are you ready, my love?” Darkjaw immediately kneels in front of her, dedicating his life to her cause with full trust. Smiling, Nolya takes the spear and jabs it through the other side of the wyvern’s neck and into the ground, killing it and channeling necrotic dark energy from it through the spear. It spreads through the soil and to the ends of the circle. She takes position with Darkjaw on the other side, and together, the druid-ranger couple begin soul magic incantations. With great Religion checks, they cast the modified preparation of Soul Recall, channeling the dark energy through the beacon and erupting with its power. Finally, the beacon fires a ghostly white beam from its core, encompassing the hut and dematerializing Darkjaw & Nolya on this plane.

Return to Livelihood

Noyla comes to in a wooden casket, seemingly carved from diverse remnants of the forests she loves. During this experience, she instead forgoes the knowledge of Animate Dead and instead She opens the casket, surprisingly with telekinetic command, and finds herself in the cargo hold of a ship. At this moment, Darkjaw’s voice rings in her head.
”I stored your new body within our new ship, it appears that Warvillus is not back yet. The zombies we left to guard it are yours to command, my love.” Nolya walks up to the deck, seeing a mid afternoon sky and a ship full of zombies. They all look at her, but do not immediately attack. She speaks to them all in Deadspeech, the language spoken by souls & the undead.
“Do not be alarmed, my children, for you are now under my protection. You served my loving partner, Lord Darkjaw, with unquestioning loyalty. He is here with me now, and he expects you to treat an order from my mouth as if it were from his.” With Nolya’s agreement, Darkjaw’s voice takes over. “Captain Deadnok and Warvillus will be marching back here with 80 of your comrades, intending to take this ship for their own. Under no circumstances can that be allowed to happen. You will defend this ship until the last man, and will only relent if either my queen has gained control of Captain Deadnok & his forces, or if I have slaughtered them all where they stand. Warvillus, regardless of this outcome, is to be executed on sight. Are my orders clear?” Through the Amulet of Deadspeak, the message goes through as if Nolya had said it herself. Darkjaw’s command is accepted, and the zombies wait for Warvillus’ regiment while Nolya/Darkjaw wait in the crow’s nest.

The Jaw Company Civil War

By late afternoon, Warvillus, Captain Deadnok & the full 80-troop division of Jaw Company arrive at the decimated village. With agreement from Nolya, Darkjaw takes over.
“Warvillus the Creator, your usefulness has run out within the rule of Lord Darkjaw. Captain Deadnok, you are to belay any order you receive from this kobold, as myself & Queen Nolya will be your sole commanders going forward. Abandon this creature, return to my ship at once, and do not allow it to board.
Warvillus, shocked to hear Darkjaw alive and to see Nolya’s new body reanimated, sputters. Darkjaw nat20’d his Persuasion check as a commander, leading Deadnok to point his sword forward and lead his men towards the ship. In disbelief at his poor luck, Warvillus lashes out. “These are my zombies, MINE! If I can’t have them, no one can!!”. He casts Drakeskin (2nd level) and flies out of zombie reach, prepared to go down with a fight.

Combat: Darkjaw & Nolya vs. Warvillus the Creator (700 XP)

Initiative

• Darkjaw: 11
• Nolya: 8
• Warvillus: 5

Round 1

• Darkjaw: Fires an Acidic Injection arrow at the kobold, dealin 8 piercing/1 fire/5 acid to the wizard (14 total). He barely makes his saving throw, resisting the lasting effects of injection. Unfazed, Darkjaw fires a Frostbite arrow, dealing 10 piercing/5 cold/2 poison/3 cold (20 total). He fails this Constitution save, and will take 1d8 cold damage at the start of his turn. Knowing his fate, Darkjaw smiles maliciously.
• Nolya: stays within the mind, as she knows she isn’t needed
• Warvillus: begins channeling dark energy for a grand necromantic attack, but instead takes 2 acid damage and dies, falling from the sky.

Aftermath

Nolya takes over again, having the zombies bring Warvillus’ spellbook to her chambers for study. After that, Darkjaw takes over and heads off into the woods, commanding the soldiers to guard the ship until they return. He searches and finds the spot of his death, recovering the arrow storage container from Lamarva’s saddle. He spends a few minutes mourning his fallen companion, when he remembers that he is part of him now. As the moon rises, Darkjaw instinctively transforms into a weredrake, a new hybrid & beast form resembling Lamarva. Understanding that he must seek revenge, Darkjaw detects a faint presence of the Young Frost Dragon and sets off to find it, eventually doing so after several hours of ravenous searching. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get the drop on it, but that matters not. He leaps into combat with bow drawn, seeking nothing less than blood.

Combat: Darkjaw vs. Young Frost Dragon (2,300 XP)

Initiative

• Darkjaw: 16
• Young Frost Dragon: 8

Round 1

• Darkjaw: Fires an Acidic Explosive at the dragon, dealing 7 piercing/4 fire/5 acid/4 favored enemy (20 total). Fires a Toxic Fume arrow, dealing 9 piercing/2 fire/8 poison/4 favored enemy (23 total), but the dragon resists being poisoned. Darkjaw runs to the trees, having not gotten within attack range of the dragon
• Dragon: Fires Cold Breath at the trees Darkjaw ran into, giving him some cover and advantage on the Constitution saving throw. He fails and takes the full 57, reduced to 28 thanks to the armor he forgot he was wearing before. Flies towards Darkjaw’s position

Round 2

• Darkjaw: Fires a fiery Lightning arrow at the dragon, dealing 6 piercing/2 fire/23 lightning/4 favored enemy (35 total), then fires a Greater Poison arrow fueled by the fire of revenge. This deals 9 piercing/6 fire/16 poison/4 favored enemy (35 total) and still doesn’t poison the dragon. Darkjaw senses weakness and puts his bow away; this kill will be personal & intimate.
• Dragon: Fails his breath recharge. Instead, the dragon bites at Darkjaw, but misses. Then claws twice, missing both due to the weredrake’s nimble nature in his favored terrain. Flies in wounded frustration.

Round 3

• Darkjaw: Climbs up a tree without being noticed directly, then leaps down for a ferocious bite to the neck. Darkjaw succeeds and deals 14 piercing/5 fire/4 favored enemy damage. With that, he rips the nape of the dragon’s neck away and begins mauling the wound, killing the dragon and ravenously eating for hours.

Aftermath

Having satiated his revenge and his hunger, Darkjaw next scavenges the dragon, taking all 30 of its teeth & 30 of its scales. He wastes no time once finished, deftly moving through the woods in the night while slaughtering woodland critters along the way.
The next day, Darkjaw arrives at the ship. As his wereform fades away, his own likeness molds into Nolya’s. Captain Deadnok and the men address their queen with a kneel, to which she smiles and commands them to prepare for sail. They do so, and within the hour, Queen Nolya & Jaw Company are afloat in the ocean and sailing towards Cyregnor. During this journey, Darkjaw completes the Glaive of Reckoning and makes replenishments to his arrow inventory:

• Glaive of Reckoning - in addition to normal Glaive damage, the user can deal additional damage equal to 1/2 the damage they took in the current/previous round since their last turn of combat. This damage must be used this turn or be lost (cannot stack damage from prior turns), but it can be allocated to as many of the users strikes as they want
• Dragonscale Quiver: can magically expand or retract, holds 100 arrows max, melded with his old quiver and reinforced for armor & spacing
• Explosive Arrow (14): deals 3d10 thunder damage to a 20ft AoE. If the arrow was fired with other effects, such as elemental damage, the damage spreads throughout the AoE.
• Ice Shard Arrow (16, 7 of which were existing frost arrows): deals 2d8  cold damage, anyone in a 20 ft AoE from target must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 thunder & 1d10 piercing damage. The target automatically fails the saving throw.
• With time and study of his Draconic Energy Projection book, he will add lightning, poison & acid damage to his Draconic essence options, which he can alternate between when firing his bow.
• In time, he will also evolve his wereboar form into a weremammoth. His Cyregnor lycanthrope roster will be were forms of the Dire Wolf, Sabor Tooth Tiger, Polar Bear, Mammoth, & Bat.

With this semi-undead couple reunited in the mortal realm, what kind of adventures await them? Better yet, what horrible fates might await their former, traitorous friends?