Session 46 - The Dragon and the Volcano

General Summary

A package sent by post from The Eyrie that contains a small, sealed amphora wrapped in fine linen, on which has been written:
Myathethil Aurelia Firahel,

As promised, a sample of grub wine from the Accipiter Vineyards.
Hidden text that is revealed on the linen when read by Myathethil:

Yatha,
At the risk of sounding dramatic, it is possible this is the last time I will be able to send a letter, as we are soon going outside the range of post.
The side of the volcano was as unstable as we were led to believe. There was a small lake of uncooled lava that was serving as a summer villa to a fire-breathing, red-as-rust dragon. I think the dragon was responsible for the eruption, since the ground continued to agitate in its presence and quieted when it perished.
We are all alive. It is dead.
The dragon left behind an active portal that connects across the Middle Sea to the lighthouse of the conquered city of Rakota. There was some heated discussion, but we will be going through tomorrow to pursue the next inscription. Whether we will all return I am unsure. I am for Roma above all else, as I believe is Laura, but Hassan has some entanglements with Aegyptus  affairs, and Kleeck is deeply moved by loyalty. That poor creature, he feels so deeply and thus is often very conflicted. It is something I think Apollo loves in him.
As for Bandua…it is hard to say. I recall what you told me - that “Bandua” is the name that dwarves use for Mars. I laughed at the time. It is not unusual for auxiliaries to earn creative cognomen, and I can only imagine the stories that would have earned him that one. But after today …. I sincerely wonder if he might not in truth be the god of War.
My nephew extracted a promise that I would write him tales of our greatest battles, but I am at a loss of what to write about what we did today. I spent most of the engagement screaming, fighting pain, staggering from noxious vapors issuing from the ground, drinking every magical potion I had hoarded for years, and, at the end, vomiting.
Not Bandua. He had the good sense to flatten to the ground when it opened its mouth to breath fire, and then at the next he charged straight in. Never a flinch or a moment of indecision or self-preservation. When the battle was over and we were admiring the beautiful weapons and armor that the dragon had collected, Bandua scoffed at a gorgeous piece of magical chain and declared that his next armor would be the skin and scales of the beast itself.
And Mkali! Do cats have gods? He is a paragon of his kind. Burned and bloody, he sank his teeth and claws into the tail of the dragon and Would. Not. Let. Go. Long past certainty of his own death. Perhaps it is merely animal instincts, but I wonder.
And Laura…as brave as Bandua and five times more sensible, she nonetheless followed his lead. I saw her fall to the dragon. Get up there and stand over her! I raged at my traitorous limbs. Then she rose back to her feet and continued the fight.
Now…Hassan and Kleeck…this is interesting. They use magical champions. Smart.
Hassan can control a powerful magical force that looks like a large glowing hand - often a fist. Kleeck used to call forth a glowing sword, but nowadays it appears to be an oversized fiery, glowing Aarakocra. I call these proxies Manus and Magnus. Privately. (Kleeck says Magnus is a divine messenger of Apollo, not merely a magical force like Manus, and that it is not the same celestial being each time, but since Magnus more or less behaves like Manus, I am not convinced. As I said, the boy feels deeply. Perhaps if Magnus every stayed around long enough to engage in conversation I would be able to discern more.)
Using a champion did not entirely protect Hassan - he told me after the battle that the rocks he stood on punched him straight up into the air. What a nightmare!
I remember when I told you the story of the dragon we spoke with in the Astral Sea. You said it sounded very different from your people’s legends of dragons. Now I understand. This creature was intelligent malevolence blended with bestial hunger. It smelled of the forge and of blood. I felt like prey.
But it did share that same sense of one-ness with its home. The lands that dragons live in become alive. I hope for the sake of the Eyrie that the fissure goes back to sleep.
The gods believe in us, and they are with us. We survived. I found my courage and joined in the final blows to its hard-as-steel scales. (Bandua is right, it would make for impressive armor.) In its hoarded wealth we found items that send a shiver through me. A shield consecrated to Apollo. A bow blessed by Diana. A sword imbued with the wit and wisdom of Minerva. As if each god was telling their champion “You are worthy”.
Except for Hassan. That is, not that he isn’t worthy, heh, but his Gift was not from one of the Gods. There was a stave blessed by one of the Titans. I am not sure whether this is cause for hope or for fear. Hope for reconciliation with this Enemy. Fear that at the end he will not be for Roma.
Circling away from piety and paranoia, there is a small detachment of retired aarakocran veterans now guarding the portal on both sides. Delightful men birds people. This entire island is really quite something. I am glad I finally found my way here, and I hope to return.
Please send news of the location of the Eight. And of Tribune Albinus.
Tertia Verecundia Pennaria

Rewards Granted

5,200 Experience Points

Missions/Quests Completed

• Campaign Milestone - Defeat the Red Dragon Charirixen
• Campaign Milestone - Arrive at Rakota

Report Date

11 Jun 2022