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(4e) Saga of Valor
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<blockquote data-quote="Netherstorm" data-source="post: 5787794" data-attributes="member: 84943"><p><strong>10. The Black Dragon</strong></p><p></p><p><em>1/9/12: </em><em>Almost caught up</em>...</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Saga of Valor </span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Book One - NyrodSpace War 3</span></span></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center"> <em>Chapter Ten: The Black Dragon</em></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p></p><p><strong>Ardra</strong> - Eladrin Bladesinger Vovoidja</p><p><strong>The Blue Monk</strong> - Half-Orc Monk Almoner</p><p><strong>Hartaniel</strong> - Elf Barbarian Groom of the Stool</p><p><strong>Lucky</strong> - Human Warlord Constable</p><p><strong>Ryltar</strong> - Drow Avenger Constable</p><p><strong>Scarlet</strong> - Human Fighter Constable</p><p><strong>Varis</strong> - Half-Elf Warlock Hostarius</p><p></p><p>The adventurers rested in Saureya's room in the inn called BloodWeaver's. Ryltar felt very odd as he prepared to rest. He'd felt very strange since getting bitten by the tiny snake in the mud sorcerer's tomb. At night he did not sleep, but rather entered into a Drow Trance. He felt that, if he did fall asleep, he might not wake up.</p><p></p><p>Ardra examined his aura with her arcane senses, and could see that his soul had been somehow tainted by the paraelemental princess of ooze, Bwimb II. Ardra could not discern more, and felt that Ryltar should be checked out by a more powerful master of the arcane arts.</p><p></p><p>The heroes took Ryltar to Curra the Sorceress. She laid the drow avenger of the Raven Queen down on a slab in a back room. She whispered quietly to him in drow, "Why are you with them?".</p><p></p><p>He said, "I have my reasons."</p><p></p><p>She smiled and said, "Me too."</p><p></p><p>Ardra entered and offered to help. Curra and Ardra combined energies to reach out to the source of his cure. They saw, looming over Ryltar, a giant woman covered in slime. Large worm-like creatures crawled all over her body. It was Bwimb II.</p><p></p><p>Curra snapped out of it and said to Ryltar, "You have angered the paraelemental princess of ooze. She has cursed you. The next time you fall asleep, you won't wake up for one year."</p><p></p><p>Ardra and Ryltar gasped. "If you can find a more powerful ritual caster, they might be able to petition Bwimb and work out some kind of arrangement."</p><p></p><p>Ryltar cursed. "All I did was piss off a tiny snake..."</p><p></p><p>They returned to BloodWeaver's, healed their wounds and got a full night's rest. Ryltar entered a drow trance. Then, the next morning, they donned the green cloaks which gave them passage to the walled-off religious district. Now they had a near-impossible task - take the cylinders of blood veil from the drow in their own city.</p><p></p><p>Each of the three entrances to the district were guarded by a giant, animated jade spider. The walls were manned by male drow wielding tall, grey death lances. They chose an entrance and passed through, the jade spider scuttling aside and allowing them to pass.</p><p></p><p>The streets were full of drow accompanied by lolthbound goblins. They saw a number of spider-walkers. The guards on board scanned the streets, and seemed on a mission to find someone or something.</p><p></p><p>Ardra kept her ears peeled, and heard one drow on a spider-walker talking to another. A murder of a healer had just been committed and they were searching for the culprit. </p><p></p><p>The heroes quietly discussed this.</p><p></p><p>"Are they looking for us?", Scarlet asked.</p><p></p><p>Ardra shook her head. "We just got to this district. The Blue Monk just got to this district."</p><p></p><p>A drow in nice clothing leaned against a wall as his three lolthbound goblins played dice games at his feet. The drow had a ring on every finger. He looked over the heroes while flipping a platinum piece in the air.</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk approached him. Scarlet quietly went with him.</p><p></p><p>The drow said, "Lolth tlu malla, friend."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, sure." The Blue Monk responded.</p><p></p><p>"You look new here. The name's Quilzar. What brings you here?"</p><p></p><p>"Just trying to rest up after our wonderful adventures."</p><p></p><p>"What kind of adventures?"</p><p></p><p>"You know... Stuff. Things. Those kind of adventures."</p><p></p><p>"Oh yeah? Hmmm. I'm the kind of guy who knows a lot of things. If there's anything you need to know, all you'll need is an onyx and I'll tell you one thing."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet produced an onyx and handed it to Quilzar. She said, "We have a vendetta against the drow who came through here with some merchandise. Some canisters in a floating chest."</p><p></p><p>Quilzar perked up. "You talking about Lochar the hero?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes."</p><p></p><p>"You have a vendetta against the hero?"</p><p></p><p>"He wronged my family long ago," Scarlet lied.</p><p></p><p>Quilzar slipped the gem into his pocket and said, "That sounds fun. If you want to find Lochar, he's down at the Dragon's Tooth Inn just two blocks that way."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet thanked him. Blue Monk looked at Scarlet and said, "That cost fifty gold? Ridiculous."</p><p></p><p>The heroes headed to the inn. Inside were:</p><p></p><p>- 3 Lolthbound goblins devouring a large plate of cooked spider.</p><p>- Three Priestesses of Lolth sitting at a table studying scrolls.</p><p>- On female drow with adamantite arms and legs, sitting with two males who each had an adamantite arm.</p><p>- Hanging by his wrists from a rope tied to a crossbeam was a poor, scarred eladrin in a loincloth. His mouth was gagged.</p><p>- In a far corner sat a lone cloaked figure.</p><p>- And by the fireplace, Lochar the drow hero ate a hearty meal.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet approached the bartender, who was playing with his pet spider (which was the size of a small dog). The spider bared its' fangs and hissed at the non-drow. The bartender calmed the spider and asked, "What can I get for you?".</p><p></p><p>Scarlet eyed the spider. She said, "That's cute. Give me a fungus wine."</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel sidled up next to her and said, "Make that two."</p><p></p><p>Scarlet sipped the wine and said to the bartender, "I hear there's a legendary hero in town."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah. So what?"</p><p></p><p>"Well I was hoping to meet him. Maybe get an autograph or something."</p><p></p><p>The bartender nodded in the direction of Lochar, by the fireplace. "He's right there."</p><p></p><p>Lucky approached the table of drow with the adamantite limbs. She said, "Hey, those are some nice arms." They glared at her. She continued, "How do those legs work? They working out pretty well for you?"</p><p></p><p>The female, Commander Warda, asked "What do you want to know about our arms for?".</p><p></p><p>Lucky pulled back her green cloak to reveal her own adamantine arm. The drow's eyes went wide.</p><p></p><p>Warda asked, "Where did you get that?".</p><p></p><p>"I got this from a traitorous drow who was killed by her own kind. She was turned into a drider. She didn't need it any more."</p><p></p><p>Warda nodded respectfully. She got up and examined the arm, comparing it to her own.</p><p></p><p>Ardra was nearby, subtly watching the three lolthbound goblins. They were cackling and eating a huge plate of fried spiders. She was repulsed. </p><p></p><p>She turned her attention to the three priestesses looking over the scrolls. They seemed to be studying and sometimes looking at each other with hate in their eyes. </p><p></p><p>Ryltar walked over to the hooded figure. The drow avenger sat at the table, as if the hooded figure wasn't there. Its' head turned toward Ryltar.</p><p></p><p>"Yes?", Ryltar asked. It said nothing in response. He asked, "Do you mind if I sit?". It did not respond.</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk walked up to Lochar. "Kind sir, how are you?".</p><p></p><p>The drow 'hero' looked up from his plate of rothe meat and asked, "Who are you to approach the mighty Lochar?".</p><p></p><p>"Ah, I've heard of you. You are famed in this town."</p><p></p><p>"That's right. I am."</p><p></p><p>"You seem to be enjoying your meal alone."</p><p></p><p>"... Yes."</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk gestured to the bound eladrin hanging from the ceiling. "Do you know anything of this man hanging from the ceiling?".</p><p></p><p>"They always got one of those. You can do anything you want to him. Punch him!". Lochar smiled and waited for the monk to punch the poor eladrin.</p><p></p><p>The Monk shrugged. "All right." He gave the eladrin a very light blow.</p><p></p><p>Lochar groaned. "Come on! Punch him harder!"</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk hesitated. He asked, "If I punch him in the stomach will you tell me of your travels?"</p><p></p><p>Lochar thought for a moment, and said "All right."</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk hauled off and punched the eladrin in the stomach (<em>for two points of damage</em>). Lochar rolled his eyes. "Who taught you how to punch?".</p><p></p><p>Lochar told the Blue Monk of his latest 'adventure' - selling another of the cylinders of blood veil. "I am loaded!", he cackled. "I sold one to the Andrucils, and I just sold another to House Darkweb."</p><p></p><p>Blue Monk asked, "Got any left?".</p><p></p><p>"The rest were brought to the great Charinidia - who's always watching." He looked around nervously.</p><p></p><p>Then, the cloaked figure sitting with Ryltar stood up. It turned and looked at Lochar. It threw off its' guise to reveal a it as a black dragon in humanoid form. It had a claw scrape across its' throat. It was the dragon of the Sea of Black Blood! It changed shape into a full-fledged black dragon and raced past Ryltar to get to Lochar.</p><p></p><p>It breathed acid, hitting Lochar, Commander Warda, and The Blue Monk. Lochar screamed, fell over, and died. </p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk ran up and began punching the dragon. Varis hit it with a dark worm feast. Scarlet charged the dragon and knocked it on its' side and said, "Now it's a party."</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel was at the bar. He said to the bartender, "You fill these up while I go kill a dragon."</p><p></p><p>The dragon oozed a shroud of gloom from beneath its' scales until it spread to a good portion of the bar. All within it were covered by it, and were thus more vulnerable to the dragon's attacks.</p><p></p><p>Ardra shot through the rope holding up the eladrin. He plopped to the ground. His hands were still bound. Lucky made her way to the injured eladrin and guided him to the far wall of the room. The freed captive gave Ardra and Lucky an appreciative look. </p><p></p><p>The three drow priestesses decided to leave, and to try to take Ardra with them. To them, she looked like a worthy sacrifice to Lolth. Hartaniel raced over to help Ardra, knocking one of the drow priestesses to the ground. Ardra turned to the priestesses, her eyes flaring with magical energy. They fearfully backed away and ran for the exit.</p><p></p><p>The dragon bit Scarlet as Lucky hacked into it with her halberd. The Blue Monk and Hartaniel struck it as well. </p><p></p><p>The dragon clawed Ryltar. Ryltar swung back with his scythe, bloodying the dragon! It immediately breathed acid again. Ardra charged forward and cut a bloody wound in the dragon's hide. Acid sprayed from the wound, injuring a few of the heroes.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet grabbed one of the dragon's horns and pulled it near the bar. The other adventurers, wary of the beast's acid blood, hung back and fired off range attacks. </p><p></p><p>The dragon clawed Scarlet, who fell to the ground, injured. Then the dragon leapt at The Blue Monk and Varis. </p><p></p><p>The three goblins had decided that the battle provided a great distraction for thievery. They crept toward Ryltar, and then jumped. One hung from his backpack, trying to tear items from it. Ryltar uttered a prayer to the Raven Queen and cast Cloud of Ravens. He was instantly surrounded by ravens, to the point where the nearby goblins were blinded. Ryltar strode past the would-be thieves and said "I don't have time for this", and sliced one with his scythe.</p><p></p><p>"Leave or me or die", he said. The goblins shrieked and ran. Ryltar cut them down with his scythe as they did so. </p><p></p><p>The drow with the adamantine arms, Commander Warda, jumped in. She'd been hit by some acid and was angry. She ran up and punched the dragon. The dragon bit back at her, but the drow blocked the attack with her arm. </p><p></p><p>Ardra grabbed some wine from the bar and slashed away at the dragon.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet made her way to Lochar's remains and said, "Great hero Lochar, are you OK?". Then she made like she was checking on him, but really she was trying to loot him. To her dismay, Lochar and his things had all been ruined by the acid.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel stabbed the dragon, killing it, then turned and cut a chair in two for good measure. He pulled out a tooth, reveling in taking a dragon's tooth in the Dragon's Tooth Inn.</p><p></p><p>Commander Warda nodded respectfully to the heroes, and chastised her men for not helping.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers left the inn and patched up their wounds in a dark alley.</p><p></p><p>Lucky said to the shivering eladrin, "I know things look bleak. I'll tell you some stories of my life sometime."</p><p></p><p>The eladrin looked at her many missing body parts and said, "Oh my!".</p><p></p><p>Scarlet nodded and said, "Once you hear that, the events in your own life will sound pretty good."</p><p></p><p>Quilzar and his three goblins approached, looking at them suspiciously. He asked if they needed anything, they said no. He walked away and said, "See you around, chumps."</p><p></p><p>The Blue Monk sneered and decided to follow the drow. But as he started to leave, the heroes grabbed his cloak. They did not want a repeat of the battle in Dagger Rock.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers knew that House Darkweb had a cylinder, but they were unsure of where the house had stored it. </p><p></p><p>Teddy, Varis' skull familiar, piped up. "Why bother? You can't handle House Darkweb. Your lives are so hollow." Obviously he had not recovered from the fact that his evil mother's spirit now inhabited the skull with him, and that she had no regard for him whatsoever. </p><p></p><p>Teddy continued, "You're totally lost. You don't even know where to start."</p><p></p><p>Ardra opened up her ritual book and cast Seek Rumor. The casting went well. She discerned that the cylinder was held in a Darkweb enclave of Lolth in the religious district.</p><p></p><p>The heroes now knew where to go. Solufine, the eladrin they'd freed, asked, "Should I come with you? Perhaps I could pretend I'm a slave?"</p><p></p><p>Ardra agreed with that idea.</p><p></p><p>He smiled and said, "It won't difficult. I am an actor!". Then he said "Suffering!" and proceeded to act like he was suffering.</p><p></p><p>Scarlet, non-plussed, said, "Wow, your acting is really great. I am totally convinced."</p><p></p><p>They asked how he had become a slave. Solufine explained that the drow raided the Feywild (<em>through the crossing in the Chaos Scar</em>) and that he'd been traded from drow to drow ever since.</p><p></p><p>He bowed to Ardra and said to her, "And thanks to your marksmanship, I am safe. My family shall reward you handsomely."</p><p></p><p>The heroes made their way to the enclave, and noticed the door was open. Inside, two drow corpses laid near stairs heading to a basement level. The corpses were strangely bloated. A few flies buzzed about. This was odd - the heroes had seen no flies since entering the underdark.</p><p></p><p>They headed below and explored some rooms. They found more bloated corpses, and more flies. They also found a magical laboratory, which contained a number of useful potions to pilfer. A nearby open door led to a room full of webbing and cocoons. Inside the cocoons was quite a pile of treasure!</p><p></p><p>Before the looting could commence, though, the heroes heard the sounds of battle.</p><p></p><p>In a main hall dominated by a vast magic symbol of Lolth, the invaders battled the last remnants of House Darkweb's defenses. The invaders were agents of the Cult of Urgathoa! Apparently, the drow of Rilauven were hesitating to deliver the cylinders of blood veil as promised, and so the cult decided to steal the one bought by House Darkweb so at least they'd have on cylinder to use to attack Olwynn with.</p><p></p><p>The heroes peered around a corner and saw two wounded spiders fighting a band of plaguebringers, and two massive leukodaemons - hooved, vulture-demons with horse skulls for heads. The daemons had flies flying all around them.</p><p></p><p>As the cult finished off the spiders, the heroes set up a two-pronged assault. Ryltar and Hartaniel came from a southern hall, while the rest went through the door from the laboratory.</p><p></p><p>The heroes burst from the laboratory into the main. A leukodaemon turned and breathed a massive horde of corpse-bloated black flies at them. Scarlet burst out of the cloud, grabbed one of the daemons and cracked it onto the symbol of Lolth over and over, killing it.</p><p></p><p>Hartaniel jumped the other one, knocking it prone. Lucky dragged it into the center of the symbol, and ordered three of her allies to charge it. They quickly reduced it to a bloody mess. Ardra killed it, and absorbed its' soul into a gem on her helm of seven deaths.</p><p></p><p>The plaguebringers were cut down in seconds. The heroes had slaughtered the invaders. They headed back to the webbed room. In the cocoons, they found magic items, gems, and the missing cylinder. Again, Ardra noticed the mark of her grandfather on the bottom...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Netherstorm, post: 5787794, member: 84943"] [b]10. The Black Dragon[/b] [I]1/9/12: [/I][I]Almost caught up[/I]... [CENTER][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3]Saga of Valor [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3]Book One - NyrodSpace War 3[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [CENTER] [I]Chapter Ten: The Black Dragon[/I] [/CENTER] [B]Ardra[/B] - Eladrin Bladesinger Vovoidja [B]The Blue Monk[/B] - Half-Orc Monk Almoner [B]Hartaniel[/B] - Elf Barbarian Groom of the Stool [B]Lucky[/B] - Human Warlord Constable [B]Ryltar[/B] - Drow Avenger Constable [B]Scarlet[/B] - Human Fighter Constable [B]Varis[/B] - Half-Elf Warlock Hostarius The adventurers rested in Saureya's room in the inn called BloodWeaver's. Ryltar felt very odd as he prepared to rest. He'd felt very strange since getting bitten by the tiny snake in the mud sorcerer's tomb. At night he did not sleep, but rather entered into a Drow Trance. He felt that, if he did fall asleep, he might not wake up. Ardra examined his aura with her arcane senses, and could see that his soul had been somehow tainted by the paraelemental princess of ooze, Bwimb II. Ardra could not discern more, and felt that Ryltar should be checked out by a more powerful master of the arcane arts. The heroes took Ryltar to Curra the Sorceress. She laid the drow avenger of the Raven Queen down on a slab in a back room. She whispered quietly to him in drow, "Why are you with them?". He said, "I have my reasons." She smiled and said, "Me too." Ardra entered and offered to help. Curra and Ardra combined energies to reach out to the source of his cure. They saw, looming over Ryltar, a giant woman covered in slime. Large worm-like creatures crawled all over her body. It was Bwimb II. Curra snapped out of it and said to Ryltar, "You have angered the paraelemental princess of ooze. She has cursed you. The next time you fall asleep, you won't wake up for one year." Ardra and Ryltar gasped. "If you can find a more powerful ritual caster, they might be able to petition Bwimb and work out some kind of arrangement." Ryltar cursed. "All I did was piss off a tiny snake..." They returned to BloodWeaver's, healed their wounds and got a full night's rest. Ryltar entered a drow trance. Then, the next morning, they donned the green cloaks which gave them passage to the walled-off religious district. Now they had a near-impossible task - take the cylinders of blood veil from the drow in their own city. Each of the three entrances to the district were guarded by a giant, animated jade spider. The walls were manned by male drow wielding tall, grey death lances. They chose an entrance and passed through, the jade spider scuttling aside and allowing them to pass. The streets were full of drow accompanied by lolthbound goblins. They saw a number of spider-walkers. The guards on board scanned the streets, and seemed on a mission to find someone or something. Ardra kept her ears peeled, and heard one drow on a spider-walker talking to another. A murder of a healer had just been committed and they were searching for the culprit. The heroes quietly discussed this. "Are they looking for us?", Scarlet asked. Ardra shook her head. "We just got to this district. The Blue Monk just got to this district." A drow in nice clothing leaned against a wall as his three lolthbound goblins played dice games at his feet. The drow had a ring on every finger. He looked over the heroes while flipping a platinum piece in the air. The Blue Monk approached him. Scarlet quietly went with him. The drow said, "Lolth tlu malla, friend." "Yeah, sure." The Blue Monk responded. "You look new here. The name's Quilzar. What brings you here?" "Just trying to rest up after our wonderful adventures." "What kind of adventures?" "You know... Stuff. Things. Those kind of adventures." "Oh yeah? Hmmm. I'm the kind of guy who knows a lot of things. If there's anything you need to know, all you'll need is an onyx and I'll tell you one thing." Scarlet produced an onyx and handed it to Quilzar. She said, "We have a vendetta against the drow who came through here with some merchandise. Some canisters in a floating chest." Quilzar perked up. "You talking about Lochar the hero?" "Yes." "You have a vendetta against the hero?" "He wronged my family long ago," Scarlet lied. Quilzar slipped the gem into his pocket and said, "That sounds fun. If you want to find Lochar, he's down at the Dragon's Tooth Inn just two blocks that way." Scarlet thanked him. Blue Monk looked at Scarlet and said, "That cost fifty gold? Ridiculous." The heroes headed to the inn. Inside were: - 3 Lolthbound goblins devouring a large plate of cooked spider. - Three Priestesses of Lolth sitting at a table studying scrolls. - On female drow with adamantite arms and legs, sitting with two males who each had an adamantite arm. - Hanging by his wrists from a rope tied to a crossbeam was a poor, scarred eladrin in a loincloth. His mouth was gagged. - In a far corner sat a lone cloaked figure. - And by the fireplace, Lochar the drow hero ate a hearty meal. Scarlet approached the bartender, who was playing with his pet spider (which was the size of a small dog). The spider bared its' fangs and hissed at the non-drow. The bartender calmed the spider and asked, "What can I get for you?". Scarlet eyed the spider. She said, "That's cute. Give me a fungus wine." Hartaniel sidled up next to her and said, "Make that two." Scarlet sipped the wine and said to the bartender, "I hear there's a legendary hero in town." "Yeah. So what?" "Well I was hoping to meet him. Maybe get an autograph or something." The bartender nodded in the direction of Lochar, by the fireplace. "He's right there." Lucky approached the table of drow with the adamantite limbs. She said, "Hey, those are some nice arms." They glared at her. She continued, "How do those legs work? They working out pretty well for you?" The female, Commander Warda, asked "What do you want to know about our arms for?". Lucky pulled back her green cloak to reveal her own adamantine arm. The drow's eyes went wide. Warda asked, "Where did you get that?". "I got this from a traitorous drow who was killed by her own kind. She was turned into a drider. She didn't need it any more." Warda nodded respectfully. She got up and examined the arm, comparing it to her own. Ardra was nearby, subtly watching the three lolthbound goblins. They were cackling and eating a huge plate of fried spiders. She was repulsed. She turned her attention to the three priestesses looking over the scrolls. They seemed to be studying and sometimes looking at each other with hate in their eyes. Ryltar walked over to the hooded figure. The drow avenger sat at the table, as if the hooded figure wasn't there. Its' head turned toward Ryltar. "Yes?", Ryltar asked. It said nothing in response. He asked, "Do you mind if I sit?". It did not respond. The Blue Monk walked up to Lochar. "Kind sir, how are you?". The drow 'hero' looked up from his plate of rothe meat and asked, "Who are you to approach the mighty Lochar?". "Ah, I've heard of you. You are famed in this town." "That's right. I am." "You seem to be enjoying your meal alone." "... Yes." The Blue Monk gestured to the bound eladrin hanging from the ceiling. "Do you know anything of this man hanging from the ceiling?". "They always got one of those. You can do anything you want to him. Punch him!". Lochar smiled and waited for the monk to punch the poor eladrin. The Monk shrugged. "All right." He gave the eladrin a very light blow. Lochar groaned. "Come on! Punch him harder!" The Blue Monk hesitated. He asked, "If I punch him in the stomach will you tell me of your travels?" Lochar thought for a moment, and said "All right." The Blue Monk hauled off and punched the eladrin in the stomach ([I]for two points of damage[/I]). Lochar rolled his eyes. "Who taught you how to punch?". Lochar told the Blue Monk of his latest 'adventure' - selling another of the cylinders of blood veil. "I am loaded!", he cackled. "I sold one to the Andrucils, and I just sold another to House Darkweb." Blue Monk asked, "Got any left?". "The rest were brought to the great Charinidia - who's always watching." He looked around nervously. Then, the cloaked figure sitting with Ryltar stood up. It turned and looked at Lochar. It threw off its' guise to reveal a it as a black dragon in humanoid form. It had a claw scrape across its' throat. It was the dragon of the Sea of Black Blood! It changed shape into a full-fledged black dragon and raced past Ryltar to get to Lochar. It breathed acid, hitting Lochar, Commander Warda, and The Blue Monk. Lochar screamed, fell over, and died. The Blue Monk ran up and began punching the dragon. Varis hit it with a dark worm feast. Scarlet charged the dragon and knocked it on its' side and said, "Now it's a party." Hartaniel was at the bar. He said to the bartender, "You fill these up while I go kill a dragon." The dragon oozed a shroud of gloom from beneath its' scales until it spread to a good portion of the bar. All within it were covered by it, and were thus more vulnerable to the dragon's attacks. Ardra shot through the rope holding up the eladrin. He plopped to the ground. His hands were still bound. Lucky made her way to the injured eladrin and guided him to the far wall of the room. The freed captive gave Ardra and Lucky an appreciative look. The three drow priestesses decided to leave, and to try to take Ardra with them. To them, she looked like a worthy sacrifice to Lolth. Hartaniel raced over to help Ardra, knocking one of the drow priestesses to the ground. Ardra turned to the priestesses, her eyes flaring with magical energy. They fearfully backed away and ran for the exit. The dragon bit Scarlet as Lucky hacked into it with her halberd. The Blue Monk and Hartaniel struck it as well. The dragon clawed Ryltar. Ryltar swung back with his scythe, bloodying the dragon! It immediately breathed acid again. Ardra charged forward and cut a bloody wound in the dragon's hide. Acid sprayed from the wound, injuring a few of the heroes. Scarlet grabbed one of the dragon's horns and pulled it near the bar. The other adventurers, wary of the beast's acid blood, hung back and fired off range attacks. The dragon clawed Scarlet, who fell to the ground, injured. Then the dragon leapt at The Blue Monk and Varis. The three goblins had decided that the battle provided a great distraction for thievery. They crept toward Ryltar, and then jumped. One hung from his backpack, trying to tear items from it. Ryltar uttered a prayer to the Raven Queen and cast Cloud of Ravens. He was instantly surrounded by ravens, to the point where the nearby goblins were blinded. Ryltar strode past the would-be thieves and said "I don't have time for this", and sliced one with his scythe. "Leave or me or die", he said. The goblins shrieked and ran. Ryltar cut them down with his scythe as they did so. The drow with the adamantine arms, Commander Warda, jumped in. She'd been hit by some acid and was angry. She ran up and punched the dragon. The dragon bit back at her, but the drow blocked the attack with her arm. Ardra grabbed some wine from the bar and slashed away at the dragon. Scarlet made her way to Lochar's remains and said, "Great hero Lochar, are you OK?". Then she made like she was checking on him, but really she was trying to loot him. To her dismay, Lochar and his things had all been ruined by the acid. Hartaniel stabbed the dragon, killing it, then turned and cut a chair in two for good measure. He pulled out a tooth, reveling in taking a dragon's tooth in the Dragon's Tooth Inn. Commander Warda nodded respectfully to the heroes, and chastised her men for not helping. The adventurers left the inn and patched up their wounds in a dark alley. Lucky said to the shivering eladrin, "I know things look bleak. I'll tell you some stories of my life sometime." The eladrin looked at her many missing body parts and said, "Oh my!". Scarlet nodded and said, "Once you hear that, the events in your own life will sound pretty good." Quilzar and his three goblins approached, looking at them suspiciously. He asked if they needed anything, they said no. He walked away and said, "See you around, chumps." The Blue Monk sneered and decided to follow the drow. But as he started to leave, the heroes grabbed his cloak. They did not want a repeat of the battle in Dagger Rock. The adventurers knew that House Darkweb had a cylinder, but they were unsure of where the house had stored it. Teddy, Varis' skull familiar, piped up. "Why bother? You can't handle House Darkweb. Your lives are so hollow." Obviously he had not recovered from the fact that his evil mother's spirit now inhabited the skull with him, and that she had no regard for him whatsoever. Teddy continued, "You're totally lost. You don't even know where to start." Ardra opened up her ritual book and cast Seek Rumor. The casting went well. She discerned that the cylinder was held in a Darkweb enclave of Lolth in the religious district. The heroes now knew where to go. Solufine, the eladrin they'd freed, asked, "Should I come with you? Perhaps I could pretend I'm a slave?" Ardra agreed with that idea. He smiled and said, "It won't difficult. I am an actor!". Then he said "Suffering!" and proceeded to act like he was suffering. Scarlet, non-plussed, said, "Wow, your acting is really great. I am totally convinced." They asked how he had become a slave. Solufine explained that the drow raided the Feywild ([I]through the crossing in the Chaos Scar[/I]) and that he'd been traded from drow to drow ever since. He bowed to Ardra and said to her, "And thanks to your marksmanship, I am safe. My family shall reward you handsomely." The heroes made their way to the enclave, and noticed the door was open. Inside, two drow corpses laid near stairs heading to a basement level. The corpses were strangely bloated. A few flies buzzed about. This was odd - the heroes had seen no flies since entering the underdark. They headed below and explored some rooms. They found more bloated corpses, and more flies. They also found a magical laboratory, which contained a number of useful potions to pilfer. A nearby open door led to a room full of webbing and cocoons. Inside the cocoons was quite a pile of treasure! Before the looting could commence, though, the heroes heard the sounds of battle. In a main hall dominated by a vast magic symbol of Lolth, the invaders battled the last remnants of House Darkweb's defenses. The invaders were agents of the Cult of Urgathoa! Apparently, the drow of Rilauven were hesitating to deliver the cylinders of blood veil as promised, and so the cult decided to steal the one bought by House Darkweb so at least they'd have on cylinder to use to attack Olwynn with. The heroes peered around a corner and saw two wounded spiders fighting a band of plaguebringers, and two massive leukodaemons - hooved, vulture-demons with horse skulls for heads. The daemons had flies flying all around them. As the cult finished off the spiders, the heroes set up a two-pronged assault. Ryltar and Hartaniel came from a southern hall, while the rest went through the door from the laboratory. The heroes burst from the laboratory into the main. A leukodaemon turned and breathed a massive horde of corpse-bloated black flies at them. Scarlet burst out of the cloud, grabbed one of the daemons and cracked it onto the symbol of Lolth over and over, killing it. Hartaniel jumped the other one, knocking it prone. Lucky dragged it into the center of the symbol, and ordered three of her allies to charge it. They quickly reduced it to a bloody mess. Ardra killed it, and absorbed its' soul into a gem on her helm of seven deaths. The plaguebringers were cut down in seconds. The heroes had slaughtered the invaders. They headed back to the webbed room. In the cocoons, they found magic items, gems, and the missing cylinder. Again, Ardra noticed the mark of her grandfather on the bottom... [/QUOTE]
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