Session 48 - Lightning and Fire

General Summary

From Kleeck's Journal:
Having exhausted our search of the library, we discussed our next move.
We desperately wanted to free the prisoners being held near the temple but did not know how we would get them to the portal atop the lighthouse without bringing a city full of Yuan-Ti down on us. There was also the matter of the dragon that was patrolling the city from the air, a threat that could waylay us at any time if it were alerted to our presence. And we were still curious about the other portal we found in the temple, wanting to know where it led and if it could be used in some way. We briefly debated what to do, but in the end, it seemed clear that the dragon would need to be dealt first, lest it attack us while were we trying to get the prisoners out of the city.
Our course of action agreed upon, we made some final preparations. Tertia sent Hauspex to investigate the palace and confirmed that the blue-hued dragon the Aarakocra scouts had seen earlier was indeed resting there on a giant horde of coins and treasure. I scribed a message to Heehk with vital information on how to breach the protection around Verthicha Okarthel, which Noctua delivered to the scouts stationed atop the lighthouse. Bandua hacked off the head of the yuan-ti scholar we had slain as a grisly trophy of our victory, a practice he sometimes engaged in that I always found to be a little unnerving.
As we prepared to leave the library, I took one last mournful look behind me at the racks and racks of scroll that lined the walls. It felt like all the wisdom of the ages was here to be had, and we were leaving it in the hands of the enemy. I mouthed a silent prayer to Apollo, hoping that the gifts of knowledge held in this building would one day find their way back into the arms of the Empire where they belonged.
We made our way back into the streets, darting from alleyway to alleyway and looking around every corner for enemy patrols. We had been lucky so far in avoiding detection as we moved about the city, but I worried that even with Hassan on our side our luck would run out eventually. But Fortuna was still with us, and we made it to the palace undetected.
The once majestic summer palace of the Ageptian royalty was all but in ruins, with multiple breaches in the walls and ceiling, and it was an easy matter to find one such breach and enter the building. We had hoped to surprise the dragon, but the ancient creature was too cunning and wary to be ambushed so easily. It let out a roar of anger as we tried to creep towards it from our hidden approach in the rubble, and the battle was quickly joined.
If anything, this monster was more dangerous than the last one we faced. Impossibly quick for its size, it harried us from the air, breathing bolts of lightning and lashing out with its tail. Laura and Bandua responded with volley after volley of arrows. Hassan used his strange magic to call the rocks and stones to his aid, sending them flying up to batter and harass the beast. Tertia showed herself to be a formidable spellcaster as well, striking the creature with a blazing orb of fire which she conjured out of thin air and hurled straight into its face.
For every blow we struck, however, it was able to respond in kind.
It dove at us, clawing and biting, only to flit away with preternatural speed before we could strike back. It was everywhere at once, catching Laura and Baunda in the line of its lighting breath one moment, then plunging down to maul Tertia the next. Its primal rage seemed to will the very elements themselves to rise to its aid; towering sand-storm like creatures rose up out of the dust to sting and pelt us, slamming Hassan into a wall and pinning Mkali in a corner. And then there was the fear; it is a hard thing to describe if you have not experienced it, but something about the sheer power and brute might of the dragon caused my blood to run cold and my nerves to unravel. I know I was not the only one - I could see the looks of horror and despair on the faces of my allies as the dragon flew about, roaring and howling like a storm come to life.
But against fear, we had hope. I believed deep in my heart that the gods were on our side, and called upon that faith to heal and rally my allies. And I could see that the cumulative effect of our assault was beginning to wear down the monster; it bled from its many wounds, and its breath was starting to come in heaving gasps. I could see it weakening, and I knew the others could see it too as they shook off the dragon fear and renewed their attacks.
It was Tertia who led the final charge, running forth from where she had been hiding amongst the rubble and using her arcane abilities to apport herself straight onto its back, where she proceeded to plunge her spatha into its scaly spine again and again. Bandua quickly joined her, drawing his dolabras and hacking away at whatever he could reach of its limbs and underbelly. Seeing it reel from their attacks, Hassan began to weave his hands through the air, invoking crackling electricity which, at the last moment, transformed into a blazing bolt of fire that lanced forth and pierced our foe straight through its core.
With a thundering 'thump', the dragon fell lifeless to the floor.
Battered and bruised as we were, we knew that we had to act fast lest our battle drew unwanted attention. Bandua, Laura, and Hassan stuffed fistfuls of coins into the bag of holding, while Tertia and I set about identifying magical items within the horde. We found boots blessed by Mercury, an amulet dedicated to Horus, and a periapt that protected the wearer from injury - more gifts from the gods to aid us in our quest. A tense thirty minutes passed as we stashed away the dragon's horde, and then we quickly and quietly made for the temple across town where we had found the hidden inscription.
Arriving at the temple undetected, we took some time to rest and take stock of our situation. With the Goblet of Eurybia's Fury and the secret name of the city, we had the means to breach the divine defenses of Verthicha Okarthel (which it turns out was also the destination of the portal in the temple). With the Cornu of Bahamut, we had the means to prevent the Revenant Maagog from returning if (and it was a big 'if') we could slay him. And should Rome fall, we knew her true name and patron, meaning we could re-consecrate the city if we were able to re-take it (though the situation would surely be dire the day Rome fell to her enemies).
But there also were signs that our enemies were close to having the pieces they would need to breach Rome's divine protection. We were running out of time to defeat Maagog before he exacted his bloody revenge on the Empire. And before we could deal with him, his armies, or Verthicha Okarthel, there was still the matter of the prisoners right here in Rakota...
(I also had a strange dialogue with Tertia after the battle. I do not know what to make of it, so I will simply record it here verbatim, to the best of my recollection)
Kleeck: I still cannot believe you teleported yourself onto the back of a dragon! Amazing!
Tertia: Truly, it was no great feat. Simply a soldier doing what needed to be done to win the day.
Kleeck: Are you injured? Do your wounds need...wait, what is that slimy stuff on your legs?
Tertia: What?!?! (embarrassed) Oh, it is nothing, probably some ichor from the dragon or some such.
Kleeck: But it has such a foul, moldy, fishy smell. Like something that has been sitting in a jar for weeks. Maybe I should...
Tertia: KLEECK!
(pause)
Tertia: It. Is. Nothing.
(pause)
Tertia: Go check on Baudua...and never speak of this again.
Kleeck: ...yes ma'am...
(end scene)

Rewards Granted

5600 Experience Points

Missions/Quests Completed

• Campaign Milestone: Defeat the Blue Dragon Uljarkepesk
• Campaign Milestone: Discover the Sacred Name and Patron of Rome

Report Date

16 Jul 2022