Jeremy
Explorer
12/4/21
Gribitz dodges away from the baby wyvern as Rhoseth steps in together with Grath to try and grab it. Rho pins it to the ground while Grath calls back for rope. Veldra provides it immediately but even as she does so she questions the others what exactly they plan to do with it. If they kill its mother, it won't survive so tying it up to starve slowly doesn't seem any kind of plan.Grath and Veldra debate back and forth while Rho nervously watches the sky. Eventually he interrupts them and asks that they take this discussion inside. Inside however, the party finds that the walls are covered in Draconic runes. Rho and Grath both speak the language and relay that it reads like a journal, and it appears to be written by the wyvern itself, detailing its reconnaissance of the human city, its contact with another wyvern, and even mentions raising its clutch.
Not only can the adult wyvern write, but the baby wyvern is able to speak with Rho. Rho swears the party will not harm the child while the angry, bound wyvern screeches promises it will kill every one of us. When Grath's flumph associate drifts in, the priest asks it to hide outside and warn them of the mother's return. Meanwhile Rho, Grath, and Gribitz argue over the intelligence of the wyvern, the implications of that, and why it is doing what it is doing. Gribitz in particular struggles with why there is a sudden change from coming here to kill the thing just because it can write. Eventually the goblin hears enough detailed and philosophical explanations that declares his new found understanding (while still comprehending nothing).
Rho and Grath decide that conversing with the wyvern is the only recourse, though Gribitz wonders out loud how well that will go with her brood captured and bound. Grath begins setting up a dome of protection while Gribitz begins excavating goblin-sized hidey holes about the lair. At some point in the preparations while Grath and Rho are arguing over who should do the talking a second entrance in the roof of the lair is discovered. Grath is adamant it has to be Rho and Rhoseth is reticent to give words to why such a plan unnerves him so. The discussion is interrupted by the cheerful telepathic chime of Mr. Flumph announcing he has both good and bad news.
As Grath requests the good news and Veldra simulaneously requests the bad news the Flumph answers both with, "You won't have to search for the wyvern!"
Veldra and Grath retreat to Grath's tiny hut while Gribitz picks one of his dugouts deeper into the lair. Rhoseth reluctantly marches to the front of the cave to have words with the returning wyvern. When the wyvern dives down in front of the dragonborn the alarm of the large creature is swiftly overtaken by its supreme arrogance. Rhoseth tries to humbly but convincingly explain why the wyvern should take its clutch and relocate further from the human city.
The wyvern guffaws at this with utter disdain and details the easy pickings and weak defenses of these lands. Mr. Flumph relays some of what is going on to Grath who then tries to provide helpful advice for Rho but things get tense when wyvern moves from gloating and insulting the humans in general to Rhoseth in particular. The dragonborn does get his back up but eventually yields and steps aside for the wyvern allowing the goading to pass just like the pompous wyrmkin. The presence of the others within had come up during the discussion and not escaped the wyverns senses but it roared as it entered its lair and spread its wings wide, daring the party to do anything.
When they did nothing, the wyvern ambled over to its young, snapped the bindings off it and curled up in its lair with a superior expression, both taunting the party and inviting them to slink away in shame and awe. The party exits the monster's lair and discusses what can be done.
With negotiations failed, no one is able to come up with a convincing enough argument to let the wyvern continue its pillaging and so they resolve to slay the beast. This turns out to be easier said than done as despite powerful necromancy from Grath rotting the strength and life away from it, precise attacks from Veldra wearing it down, the savagery of the beast is more than a match for the party and for Rho in particular who completely loses himself during the fight. At one point the wyvern impales the dragonborn straight through with its stinger but Rho stubbornly refuses to die and with horrifying brutality beats the mother wyvern to death with the corpse of its own young.
While the party had seen Rhoseth's eyes go completely black and hints of smoke of unknown origin begin to drift from him they had never seen it get so bad and it had always ended when the heat of battle passed. This time however it did not and the dragonborn roared and proceeded to gorge himself on the corpses of his fallen foes while the rest of the party kept their distance and tried to call out in worry to their friend and ally.
Gribitz tries healing Rho's wounds as sometimes it seems it is the pain of his injuries that drives him so mad but Rho only picks up speed. As he is consuming the lifesblood of the wyvern Veldra tries to reach out and gently at first but increasingly firmly pull him away from his grisly feast. Rhoseth hurls her back and turns on the party, picking up his maul once more as we all raise our hands placatingly. Rho's breath comes heavy and fast as he grips his weapon but eventually it slows and his eyes begin to clear, as they do a heavy weariness falls on him followed by confusion and shame.
He reads the terror on Gribitz's face, the resolve on Veldra's, and the suspicion on Grath's and is crushed by a combination of fears imagined and realized. Veldra is the first to approach him again asking if he's back with them again, but Rho doesn't have answers anyone would like so merely hangs his head and remains slouched against the remains where he fell. Grath is next asking carefully for an explanation.
Rhoseth is still dazed by the extent of what happened and what almost happened and continues to not answer. Veldra waits, giving him time while Grath bides his time. After enough time passes it is Rho who asks what happened. Grath and Veldra take turns detailing what they saw and the dragonborn's body language winces at the monster he became. When Grath directly asks if this is going to be a problem the hopeless answer he receives from Rho is, "I don't know."
Grath promises that this will be discussed further as the party collects themselves and begins to leave the lair. Rho is the last to move with Veldra lingering near the exit watching over him. She sees him kneel over the corpses and take a claw from one while whispering something she can't make out but she again gives him his space.
On the way back to town Gribitz slowly gathers the courage to approach the bloody dragonborn and timidly offer him a Goodberry in tribute or to appease him but Rhoseth darkly responds that he has eaten his fill.
The party washes the signs of battle from themselves and their equipment before returning to the surrounding farmlands. When Grath tells the commonfolk that the beast has been slain he decides not to correct their impression that it was a dragon. When the priest's momentary hesitation is met by the comment, "What? You want a hug or something?" Grath's features harden somewhat and excuses the party to return wearily home.
Back at the manor the party eats, rests, and the next day discusses what should be done. Grath's Flumph acquaintance attends and reveals that he doesn't really have any particular home per se and offers to watch over the rather nice home of the party in their absence should they need to travel again. Grath says that there are still preparations he wishes to complete for the consecration of the shrine to Ilmater in the basement while Gribitz brings up the ritual exorcism that the priests in Lake's Nest performed on their friend Flint when he fell afoul of the evil of the goblin's phobia---books. When he suggests that maybe if the cleansing worked for Flint, it would work for Rhoseth as well.
The dragonborn explains that he doesn't believe it is the same thing prompting another round of questions from the party about what he DOES believe it is. Eventually Rho capitulates and begins to explain the vision quest his tribe enters into as their rite of passage. He tells of the dark violence of his vision and the sense that some powerful force had laid claim to his soul and one way or another would use him as the vessel for great destruction.
During Rhoseth's haunted confession of the past he is ashamed of and the exile he imposed on himself to protect his kinsmen Grath quietly whispered to Veldra how none of this was a good sign. However, he the words he whispered were in Celestial and when she processed this she startled like he had splashed her in the face with cold water. Veldra makes no response as her own aasimar heritage is not up for discussion and especially not now. Her eyes narrow at Grath as he has already turned back to Rho and mentions the priest of the Platinum Dragon he had spoken with at the Temple of Faiths.
Rhoseth doesn't seem to recognize the title and asks how this would help while Veldra comes to the dragonborn's defense stating we only need to go if Rho is up to it and if he even wants to. She states in no uncertain terms to Grath that it is up to Rho.
While Grath agrees he also says that eventually he will need to face his past. Rho considers for a time before blowing out a long sigh and hesitantly agreeing that perhaps more knowledge would be helpful. It is hard to determine if he is relieved or uneasy to have the help of his friends or others on this intensely personal wound he has carried so long.
