Session 378 - Dancing Shadows
General Summary
The Story So Far
The heroes have saved the Kingdom of Kaldor from the foulspawn hordes of the New Empire of Lothrim. They have gained much wealth and power, but one loose end needs to be tidied up. The so-called Twilight Calamity, a mighty Shadow Dragon, has made Valeria’s life difficult. He needs to be dealt with.
This is the continuation of Session 377 - A Tangled Web of Shadows .
Location - Yashain the World of the Gods.
10th to 30th Agrazhar 728TR
Valeria gained her abilities to manipulate shadow magic after a strange magical incident about ten years ago at the Dancing Shadow Inn in the port town of Nurisel. What happened is unclear, as her memories are decidedly hazy, but she did find a mysterious book. Over the years, she has been able to translate it, and it contains a wealth of lore on the Shadow Realm, its denizens, and magical rituals for manipulating shadow and opening gateways to that world.
As her magical powers developed, creatures from the Shadow World made many attempts to kill her. From these entities, she learned that the great Shadow Dragon Zykayda, the so-called Twilight Calamity, sent them. Zykayda believes her magical powers were stolen from him, and he wants them back.
Having assisted in the downfall of the New Empire of Lothrim, Valeria now decides to confront the dragon who has tormented her for years. She believes the gateway to the Shadow Realm is at the Dancing Shadow Inn in the Kingdom of Melderyn, where she gained her powers.
But first, heroes traveled to the three impressive stone circles at Vara on the northern Island of Melderyn and entered a Barasi Point, a gateway to Yashain the highly magical Realm of the Gods. They are hunting the shape-changing wizard, Talsalar Harroweave, who wreaked havoc in Nurisel a decade ago and was somehow mixed up with the event that gave Valeria her powers. The wizard is believed to be hiding in the Tarankor Plains, in the corpse of the dead god Edthiel.
Part 1 – Arrival
They arrive on a rocky crag overlooking the vast, grim-looking, fetid swamp land, the Langseevain Marshlands. As the heroes orientate themselves, they note they are being observed. Bizarre creatures high up in the rocks look down on them with interest. They resemble giant white swans with long necks and vaguely human-shaped heads.
Valeria casts True Speech and says hello. The creatures are friendly enough, and several fly down to converse. They point out the direction of the Tarankor Plains, about ten days on foot over the marshlands, half an hour by wing. Valeria tries to persuade them to fly the party over but has no luck. “The festering foul air above the swamp makes our feathers stink," they tell her.
Part 2 – Slogging through the Marshland
The swamp air is damp and rancid, and the heroes soon develop a bad cough and feel nauseous. But they continue on, growing weaker day by day.
As they enter a hot, misty region littered with the bones of some massive creatures, a giant comes into view. It is almost 20-foot tall, vaguely humanoid with rocklike skin, and wielding an enormous, spiked club the size of a tree. Smoke is emitted from its mouth, and numerous cracks cover its body. As the party finds out, when injured, it bleeds magma. The colossus immediately attacks, manipulating bubbling patches of swamp water, creating three animated 10-foot diameter balls of boiling water.
The heroes battle these threats and are pressed but emerge victorious. A few days later, as the party’s health deteriorates further, they are again assaulted, this time by enormous fungal masses. As the party hacked them to pieces, the nefarious plants absorbed the life forces of the swamp around them to heal. Nevertheless, they are also eradicated.
Part 3 – The Dead God
The heroes emerge from the Langseevain Marshlands, physically ill and decidedly green, but their health recovers rapidly as they move through the more welcoming Tarankor Plains. This is a lush undulating grassland with the occasional rocky outcrop. Valeria’s Bird Companion spots the Corpse of the Dead God Edthiel in the distance.
Whatever Edthiel was, he was huge, probably over 100 feet tall, but now he is nothing more than a grass-covered skeleton, mouth open as if screaming in agony, lying embedded in the soil with a large cavity in its chest.
After a brief back and forth, Valeria questions him about the events at the Dancing Shadow Inn a decade ago that granted her control of the magic of shadows. Surprisingly, he is most forthcoming, “It was a trap,” Harroweave says, “For a dragon. I weakened the barrier between the world and waited many years for him to wander close. Then I stole his life force.” Proudly, he shows the heroes a large black gem. Valeria can sense a magical resonance with this object. “I used the stolen power to defeat my great enemy,” he gestures to the nearby skeletal remains. He hypothesizes that Valeria must have been caught in the magical backwash as he drew the Dragon's life force into the gem. This is where her powers have come from.
Even lifeless, the Shadow Dragon Zykayda is plaguing Valeria’s life. She asks to borrow the gem and use it to end whatever is left of the dragon. But Harroweave says no; he cannot risk the gem being broken and the dragon's power unleashed. Instead, he invites the party for dinner. “It has been so long since I have had the company of humans; I am quite fond of your race,” he says. After much discussion, the party accepts and enters the cavity in the dead god’s chest.
Part 4 – Dining with the Devil
The inside chambers of the dead god are greyish pink and decorated with bookcases and arcane artifacts. More disturbing are magical transparent domes filled with various creatures. These include an angry, misty form, a creature that looks like a ghoul, a glowing ball of light, a human brain with four tiny legs, and a huge skunk-like creature.
Harroweave is an excellent host and appears generally fascinated by the party’s stories and events in the world of men. He is quite a pleasant character, lacking in morals, although he is more of a trickster than a force of evil. Still, he refuses to give Valeria the gem but generously allows her to touch and draw some power from it. She feels her magical powers grow. He believes the Shadow Dragon Zykayda is a weak phantom of its former self. He decides to add Ghost Touch enchantments to the party’s weapons to help combat it. After a most excellent banquet, he instructs his servant, a humanlike creature with a snake’s head, to escort the party back through the mashes via shortcuts. This only takes three days to return to the portal. The party then returns to Hârn and the Dancing Shadow Inn in the port town of Nurisel.
Part 5 – The Dragon Wraith
With the Earl of Nurisel's agreement, the Dancing Shadow Inn is emptied for a “Health Inspection. Too many rats.” That night, Valeria uses a magical ritual to open a gateway to the world of shadows, and the heroes step through.
They appear to be a somewhat deformed replica of the inn, set in a dramatic and bizarre mountain peak. Quickly, Valeria casts Pinpoint, looking for the phantom of the Shadow Dragon. She senses it; it is not far away and closing fast. It has detected her presence in his realm.
It attacks with a devastating life-sapping breath weapon while keeping to the sky. This is the most powerful entity the heroes have ever faced, but they are well prepared, targeting its weaknesses and negating its strengths. Rycon's well-timed arrows constantly hit the undead dragon’s wings, grounding it and allowing Dryueh and Blaine to attack using their Ghost Touch enhanced weapons. Meanwhile, Valeria herself takes to the sky out of the wraith's reach and blasts it with magic. Luck turns against the wraith of the great Shadow Dragon Zykayda, who has haunted Valeria’s life for years. Ironically, the party's faithful henchman Blaine struck the felling blow. He always wanted to kill a Dragon.
Epilogue
The Heroes can now retire.
Baron Rycon of Baseta
Rycon settles down with his wife, Dame Afaewynn Barthy, manages his new estates, and assists King Conwan Elendsa in restoring the Kingdom of Kaldor to greatness. He also accepts the mysterious Council of Eleven invitation and becomes an advisory member of this most secretive organization.
Valeria
With no threats to her life from any other planer entities, Valeria returns her book on shadow magic acquired from the mysterious Night People and lives as a wealthy lady of a small estate.
Dryueh the Plane Walker
Having the ability to move between the worlds quickly, Dryueh has become a planner explorer. There is so much to see and so many places to visit.
Blaine the Dragon Slayer
Blaine returns to his Inn and spends his retirement drinking until adventure and fortune call again.
NPC Interactions
Talsalar Harroweave.
Sir Sunoril Thabel - Earl of Nurisel.
Related Reports
The Council of Eleven - Updated.
Player Characters
Valeria - Human - L20 Shadow Sorcerer
Background - Magical Experiment.
Archetype - Beastmaster/Wizard.
Rycon - Human - L20 Fighter
Background - Rebel Knight.
Archetypes - Liberator Champion/Dual Weapon Warrior/Swashbuckler.
Dryueh - 1/2 Elf - L20 Thief Rogue
Background - Scout.
Archetypes - Vigilante/Medic/Shadowdancer/Wizard/Acrobat.
NPC Companion
Blaine - Human - L20 Fighter
Background - Bodyguard.
Archetypes - None gets in the way of drinking.
Rycon
Dryueh
Valeria
NPC Companion
Blaine
A capable fighter, bodyguard, and occasional tavern owner. He likes to kill orcs and drink alcohol.
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