Eleventh Session

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Eleventh Session
DragonLair.jpg
Into the Dragon's Lair
Campaign The Primordial Campaign
Game Date Tuesday, April 14, 2021
Start Date Mamir 24, 261 IM
Start Location Karagay Citadel, Karagay, Karagay Province, Ortalyk
Ending Date Mamir 25, 261 IM
Ending Location A dragon's den near Kara, Aydahari Confederation
Absentees David McIntyre/Rayjok
Prev Session Tenth Session
Next Session Twelfth Session

The Eleventh Session began with our heroes splitting up and covering four separate doors of the inner chamber of Karagay Citadel's lower level. Obsidian Black, with a black dragon and the other party members each with various Aydahar, they prepared to storm the chamber. Didara Samat, the apparent leader of the black Aydahar warned that the Grendel had a powerful wizard among them and that he should probably be the first target.

Well That was Fast[edit]

Matteo Alleman was the first to shoot through the doors, revealing a giant circular chamber full of books, tables and centered with a large magic circle. To his left was a very sinister looking Grendel assassin and ahead there was a regular Grendel footman. No wizard.

The incoming swarm of Aydahar made a fiery gob of acidic goop out of the footman, while the black dragon bisected and ate the upper half of the assassin. Meanwhile, Matteo Alleman had spotted what appeared to be a foot and a bit of rope pull themselves up through a fissure in the ceiling of the room. The fissure had closed by the time the remainder of the party entered the room. The combat had ended.

Loot Like We're British![edit]

With no way to pursue the escaped wizard, the party decided to loot. Obsidian Black and Panamon Cree explored the main chamber, while Greef Raoke and Matteo Alleman made their way back to loot the wizard's chamber and examine the store room. Matteo's investigation yielded: crate of ash, barrel of blood, crate of bone dust, box of river clay, 2 barrels of dragon guano, barrel of salt, box of sand, barrel of water, barrel of red wine, box of coloured glass and finally a box of stinging nettles.

Greef, in the mean time looted a quantity of gold and a very shiny jewelled longsword. Additionally, there were a number of books that seemed related to the map he had taken from the table on the first trip through the room.

Wow, What a Wild Wind[edit]

The black Aydahar, with the assistance of the black dragon were attempting to widen the tunnel enough to make an escape. Meanwhile the red Aydahar went to fetch the red dragon wyrmlings. The latter triggered dragon breath, which in turn started the wind to churn through the main corridors. Inside the chamber, a red jewelled box was wrenched from its conventional magical hiding place and clattered to its wresting place in the center of the chamber's magic circle. The circle started to glow.

Meanwhile, the red dragon wyrmlings began to run toward the barrier blocking the northern hallway. Greef and Matteo, returning from their looting session, noted that the noise from the dragonkind had halted completely, as if they had vanished.

What's in the Big Pink Box?[edit]

One of the Memes of Aspan

In the chamber, Obsidian Black observed the box in the glowing magic circle. He attempted to approach the box, only to hurt himself on the intense magical radiation coming from the circle. Waiting for the light to die down, he approached a second time, without harm and was able to touch the box, but was unable to open it or pry it from the floor.

Panamon Cree approached the box with his collection of keep-shaped "keys". Touching the key of Grendel design to the box enabled him to open the box. The box revealed a shimmering hologram of scrolling text. The text appeared to be in the Old Otani language. It also appeared to possibly be instructions for something, with paragraphs numbered and illustrated with symbols. Once the key was applied, Panamon was able to close the box and remove it from its mooring.

A Few Quick Discoveries[edit]

Panamon and Obsidian discovered that there was more documentation regarding the Nine Herbs Charm he had copied out earlier, this time finding a copied edition with one more page, including an illumination of a man with a rod intimidating a dragon. The ingredient stinging nettle was inscribed at the bottom of the document.

Also found were documents related to the magic circles within the complex, information about what experiments had been run and various other documents that looked like they might explain what was going on in this place. The documents were loaded into spare chests and the party was ready to make for the tunnel and escape with the black Aydahar.

Curiosity Killed the Cleric[edit]

Sometimes people just step into things

With the disappearance of half the Aydahar, the party decided to run an experiment. The black dragon was asked to breath into the attractor circle, which she did with Obsidian's prodding. The result was a wind whipping through the outer corridor. Greef Roake was the first to test the results, stepping through the previously impassable barrier and into the circle. At which time he promptly disappeared.

The black dragon and the rest of the Aydahar promptly followed Greef's example, disappearing into the circle, and ultimately the remainder of the party did likewise.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore[edit]

The party found themselves in the stripped lair of their black dragon rescuee, along with all the other Aydahar who came with them. In the distance they could hear what they presumed to be the red dragons and their Aydahar keepers fleeing the catacombs leading to the cave. The Aydahar explained the party that they were very near Kara, the capital of the Kara Aydahar Region, a region famous for its many black dragons deep in the South of the Aydahar Confederation.

The party immediately began to discuss their best avenue for escape from Aydahari territory, whether to go by land, east to Sigis or by boat, south to the Garis Triumvirate. Consulting with their grateful party of Aydahar evacuees, Greef Roake supplied each of them with 50 gold in return for their pledge to help in escorting the party to the Aydahar border with Sigis.

Over the course of the day, the Aydahar group returned with a set of riding lizards, one for each party member, a pack lizard to carry the recovered chests of books and documents, and sufficient cloaks and garments such as to offer the party a much needed, albeit feeble disguise to don while riding.

Some Light Reading[edit]

While taking a long and much needed rest, the party dug into the four chests of books captured from the Karagay Citadel. The party learned among other things that:

  • There's more to these boxes. They are in fact the Memes of Aspan.
  • There's more to the uses of herbs than might be guessed, re. Nine Herbs Charm.
  • There's more to this thing called Ylem. It might be a big deal.
  • There's more to Magic circles than anybody new. Who knew?