Session 25 (Part Three)
Greetings Gang!
Don't roll to disbelieve...there is actually an update! I am going to try and get one or two more in before the end of the year!
~ OO
Dwarven Tall Tales
“Greetingz…Son of Stone.”
The dragon’s voice rumbled like the echo of distant thunder.
“With a guardianz such as yourself, I have much to fear.”
A worm of irritation and indignation wriggled through Cragen’s fear. ‘Damn oversize lizard is patronizing me!’
As if reading his mind, the immense creature chuckled. The shock waves of draconic mirth threatened to knock the dwarf from his feet. “Peace…Son of Stone. I bear you know ill will…yet.”
The dragon’s last word hung in the air as a statement of fact and a dangling threat. Cragen couldn’t decide if he was relieved or if he should just go ahead and relieve himself. The faint clinking of scale sliding against scale announced movement by the great wyrm. In the space of a grain, the creature’s tree like forelimbs bracketed the dwarf and the huge head snaked forward, dipping to sniff each of his oblivious companions in turn.
“Tell me what tranzpired here…”
An idle corner of Cragen’s mind wondered if he could reach the dragon’s massively muscled chest if he were standing on Rosë’s shoulders. The words started slowly and then gushed forth in a confused torrent. The battle…their failure…the death of the children…the escape of the Necromancers and their undead troops.
“Hmmz…”
The creature’s rumbled reply bespoke understanding and…concern? Cragen’s mind turned momentarily inward, attempting to decipher any hidden meaning in the dragon’s understated response. The creak of ponderous tendons snapped him back to alertness. The dragon had inched forward a dozen paces and was closely inspecting the prone forms of Quintus and Drusilla. The move placed the dwarf directly under its rippled torso. The disassociated part of Cragen’s mind calmly noted scores of battle-marks on the beast’s underbelly before his consciousness reasserted its self.
“HEY!”
Cragen darted back between the pillar-like forelimbs and tried to interpose himself between the dragon’s snout and Drusilla. The dragon chuckled again and moved its olfactory inspection to the elder Scipio with blinding speed and ease. When the dwarf jumped towards Quintus, the cart-sized head rose and dipped, inhaling deeply above Drusilla. Exasperated, Cragen assumed a guard position midway between the pair and raised his hammer.
“Most interestingz…”
“I told you…you may not have them!” Cragen hoped his voice wasn’t shaking as bad as the rest of him.
The dragon’s neck snapped back and darted forward, dropping its head down to Cragen’s level. The dragon’s chin horns scrapped along the ground as the huge maw came to a stop several hand’s breadths from Cragen’s bearded face. Unseen by Cragen, whose sole focus was the serried rows of razor sharp teeth, the dragon’s foreclaws silently slipped forward and gently grasped the frozen forms of Drusilla and Quintus.
“My apologiez, Son of Stone, but I must insist on taking theeze two for,” there was a long, awkward pause, “…safekeeping.”
Cragen started to object, but the words died in his throat as the dragon’s teeth parted and the fearsome orifice moved closer. The dwarf’s eyes involuntarily clamped shut as a blast of hot breath washed over him. The irreverent corner of his mind marveled at the absence of stench. Warm, moist pressure tugged at his hammer and upraised arm.
The dwarf managed to force one eye open and promptly shut it again as he saw, to his disgust and horror, the dragon’s huge tongue lolling over his weapon, arm and upper torso. His mind screamed silently.
The tongue retreated and Cragen felt, rather than saw, the dragon shift positions.
“Farewellz…for now…Son of Stone.”
The dazed dwarf could only stand, helplessly, as massive pinions drove the huge bulk of the dragon into the air with three mighty strokes. The limp form of Drusilla dangled from one foreclaw and Quintus from the other. The huge beast circled the camp once and sped east, towards the mountains.
Cragen stood stock still for a long time, hammer upraised, questioning his sanity and cursing his impotence. Unseen by the dwarf, a beam of moonlight glinted off the tiny flecks of black and silver that now covered the head of his hammer.
A quarter turn of the hourglass latter, his remaining companions began to stir. One by one, they shook themselves loose of the dragon fright and looked around, confused and fearful. Rosë was the first to gather his wits. His sharp eyes noted the immobile Cragen and empty resting spots of Quintus and Drusilla. For a brief moment, he thought the dwarf had returned to the stony state they had originally encountered him in, but a quivering twitch told him otherwise.
Soon, the Brigante, the two Emorians, Kyndalyn and the surviving militiaman were gathered around Cragen, waiting for him to speak. Finally, the Junior Tribune blurted out, “Well, man, out with it…what happened?”
Cragen looked into each face, paused, shook his head and responded in a slow measured voice. “A dragon came down from the sky…spoke with me…took Quintus and Drusilla…licked me…and then flew away.”
The Junior Tribune’s face split into an incredulous grin. “A dragon came down…from the sky…and stole them away? Are you moon-touched, Cragen? That’s crazy talk!”
Cragen glared at the irritating young officer and he repeated his contention, “A dragon came down from the sky…spoke with me…took Quintus and Drusilla…licked me…and then flew away.”
Despite his companion’s misgivings, the dwarf stuck to his story, repeating it a third time. He would, however, say nothing else.
Talk of a dragon and two missing party members robbed the rest of any meaningful sleep for the balance of the night. Dawn brought the return of both Rowan and Sextus, with the creepy form of undead Garrick patiently trailing the bard. Cragen repeated his claims to both and was met equal skepticism. While Sextus desperately pressed the dwarf for more details about his missing brother, Rowan started looking about the camp.
The ranger whistled through clenched teeth as he easily noted the torn ground and enormous claw marks in the loam. “By the Light, the dwarf’s not crazy!”
He walked back towards Sextus and Cragen, shaking his head. “A dragon…or something equally huge…was here,” he claimed emphatically.
He glanced at Cragen’s hammer, hanging almost forgotten in the dwarf’s relaxed grip, and swallowed hard. “Cragen,” he whispered, “look at your weapon.”
The dwarf glanced at the hammer, around at his companions and then focused on his weapon again. The silver and black flecks were clearly visible in the morning light. He shook his head is disbelief.
“What in Moradin’s name happened last night?”
To Be Continued…
NEXT: Session 25 (Part Three) – Partings and Pursuit
Enjoy!
~ Old One
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It's good to have Garrick back in the fold, though I suppose he's a bit less fragrant than they recall. How did the original player react to his return?
