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Message: <blockquote data-quote="PHDungeon" data-source="post: 5242615" data-attributes="member: 86320">This is lengthy journal by Bella recapping the final session of the heroic tier portion of our campaign, including the battle against the deadly red dragon Rathnir (with a little twist).It begins the morning after the heroes fled from the Androsax manor. That night they holed up under piles of rubble from the collapsed ceiling of a small church that they found in a ruined village, which was located at the base of the hill that the keep sits on. Rathnir spent the night flying over the countryside searching for the heroes. He inspected the village, but only from the air, and they had hid themselves well enough that they escaped his notice. Thus, they were able to take a much needed extended rest.Party MembersBella (level 10 changeling rogue with a pinch of sorcerer)Derren Androsax (level 10 human fighter)Bjorn (level 10 human cleric of Thor)Turak (level 9 minotaur warden)Deryl Androsax (who joins in the action for this session, level 9 human sorcerer).Session 23:  Breaking the IceIn the ruins of a temple we awaken, our jailer still vigilante in his fortress.  We start preparing for the inevitable confrontation.  There is a determined set to my familiar’s eyes, Cullen had failed me yesterday; he would not do so again.  I think as I wait for the homunculus to rematerialize in my pocket, the dragon is a formidable opponent and the terrain does not make stealth easy; he has nothing to be ashamed about.  Several tense hours pass and then we hear Rathnir take to the air and pass over us.  Cullen returns with the news.  Somehow Deryl has followed us here and is making her way down the river to the south.Derren is through the door and running before I can completely relay the information.  Reluctantly, we follow.When we arrive on the scene it is surprisingly serene.  We find Deryl standing in the river having a polite conversation with our enemy.  As usual, Derren’s arrival smashes the tranquility, the dragon turns toward our fighter and the young noble engages in the only form of diplomacy he has ever been even moderately successful.  Turak and Bjorn are not far behind and soon we have the dragon completely surrounded.I stay back, not needing the same proximity as my allies to be effective.  From behind a rock cropping I fire bolt after bolt into the fray.  I managed to clip its wing, ensuring that it could not escape through flight, especially with Turak in the fray.  I watch the battle progress, and it is just as difficult as we imagined it would be.  The dragon’s breath rains down upon them again and again.  It’s tail sweeps among my companions periodically, throwing each to the ground.  I can see them tiring, but I also know that ultimately we are going to win.Then I see them.  Two white dragons flying gracefully toward us.  They land in the middle of our battle.  One of them calls out to our foe.“Rathnir, [Other Dragon] sends his regards. [Drew, little help here, fill this in].”The white dragons surround Rathnir and the red dragon focuses on the now bigger threat.  We all take it easier now that our new allies have joined the fight.  The enemy of our enemy is our friend.  Already weakened, soon Rathnir falls to the assaults of the other two wyrms.One of the whites addresses Bjorn.“We have come to kill Rathnir and take his hoard.”Bjorn looks them in the eye.“One out of two ain’t bad”And with that his hammer descends on the dragon’s head.The brief respite the dragons had provided in our battle against Rathnir had left us with enough strength to still be confident against our new foes.  The red dragon had weakened them, so most of their threat was diminished.  I grew overconfident.  Hoping to blind them I crept from my hiding spot and advanced into the melee.  I looked into the eyes of the dragon and for a moment I remembered yesterday and staring down Rathnir.  Fear threatened to overcome me, but I mastered it.  Each of my bolts struck true and the mighty wyrm balked under my assault.  Unfortunately it only lasted a moment as somehow the dragon shook off the affect.  Its eyes turned toward me and focused, wrath plain within them.As my vision filled with the dragon’s claw I remembered my fear.My body is wracked with pain as I once again retreat from the beasts reach.  I watch as Turak keeps the dragon in place as I fire bolt after bolt into its thick hide.  With the four of us working together one of them relents, breathing it’s last as Turak’s hammer drops upon its snout.  Its companion decides that perhaps Rathnir’s hoard was not worth his life and tries to escape.  The mighty minotaur would not have that, twisting his horns into the dragons soft underbelly and throwing it to the ground.  It soon realizes that it has no choice but to stay even though it will mean certain death.  It tries valiantly to at least take one of us with it but it was not meant to be.  Soon all three dragons are corpses at our feet.Leaving the bodies we made our way to Derren’s ‘manor’.  Just inside we found what we had fought so hard for.  Rathnir’s hoard was a beautiful thing to behold.  My fingers shook as I ran them through piles of gold and gems.  Finally, following Derren as he blundered across the countryside had paid off and as an added bonus he was leaving us to rule over his new manor.We returned to Fallcrest.  The winter months would be busy for me.  The bodies of the ice wyrms provided excellent ritual components for upgrading my crossbow.  I also crafted a backup crossbow that was not magical or ornate.  I created enchanted, personalized ritual books for myself, Bjorn and Deryl.  After that there was nothing preventing me from mastering every ritual in Flagg’s book.After these initial preparations Deryl and myself when to Grimmsburg using the Linked Portal in my tower.  Besides shopping, we also had business to attend to.  With Derren no longer in our party Bjorn was insisting that the young Androsax girl either stay with him or return home.  With the mystery of the mark still with the girl I would rather keep a close eye on her.  A compromise was reached.  I would become Deryl’s guardian.  It was surprisingly easy; her parents seem frightened of her and eager to have her far away.  I could see regret in her mother’s eyes as we walked away but also acceptance.  Deryl is a sorceress and far more powerful than she could comprehend.  She is no longer the girl that ran off with her brother months before.  Honestly, when her mother hugged her awkwardly goodbye it was like her own daughter had become a stranger to her.The more unpleasant business was my meeting with Starke.  I am unsure if he was dropping hints that he knows of my true nature but one thing is certain, he grows more paranoid as the days pass.  Fortunately, he isn’t making any accusations and still considers me valuable enough to not attempt to kill me.  He has let me go, but the meeting has made me aware that I must usurp him soon as I can now feel the bladed pendulum above my head.Finally the Academy here has proven to be most enlightening.  It is where Deryl and I spent the remainder of our days in Grimmsburg.  I was able to find several useful rituals: One created by Tyjon the Mad that allowed me to turn my bag of holding inside out and hide it within a extra-dimensional space; another that has enabled me to mask the magical aura’s of my equipment, and a high level ritual for fighting underwater.  I did not only find rituals here but some martial tomes as well.  They showed me methods of loading my crossbow faster and shooting farther.On our return to Fallcrest I find I have little time for socializing.  I am at the shooting range almost every day.  With time I learn to draw a bolt from my quiver and fire it at my target faster than blinking.  As each bolt strikes home I feel the coldness within me flowing into my weapon.  The crossbow was already a potent weapon, but in my hands it was becoming deadly; it’s frost enchantment more pronounced when I fired it.  During these sessions I garnered much attention from the men of the town.  They were content to watch and none dared approach me, apparently my frigid disposition had gotten around.My crossbow is a variation of a hand crossbow, a highly specialized piece of equipment.  Duplicating it and attempting to distribute it would bring Starke’s always vigilant eye down upon me, a meeting that I was not yet willing to provoke.  The hand crossbow itself however requires less training than a bow and can therefore be effective in the hands of almost anyone.  The walls of Fallcrest need to be better defended; perhaps I can approach Lady Malkalhay on commissioning the creation of crossbows for her militia.  I should talk to Teldorn, the local dwarf blacksmith, surely he knows how to create them.  I would even offer my services to any willing to train in the use of the weapons.  It was time that the people of Fallcrest leaned take care of themselves and rely less upon us.On that note, Vesna’s men seemed to be settling in.  The many misfortunes of that had befallen the city had left many widows.  They are poor farmers, but right now in these dark times soldiers are needed.  As I walk through the streets I now feel more confident that when next we leave for whatever reason, perhaps we will not return to tragedy.Time will only tell.</blockquote>

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