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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mikeawmids" data-source="post: 7964779" data-attributes="member: 6776411">Chapter Twenty Nine: The Great ForgemasterThe party decide their first port of call should be the island of Salenax, home to the azur weaponsmith Artel Norrin. They've already witnessed first-hand the power of one colossi and hope Norrin can provide a weapon capable of bringing it down. Zain blows the golden horn to summon their ride. Another Nexian galley appears on the horizon, practically flying across the waves - or perhaps it is the same one as before? It has the same black sails and the same bull-headed helmsman at the wheel, yet there is no damage to the hull from the fight against the dragon turtle.The heroes board the ship. The bronze helmsman waits silently for direction."Take us to Salenax!" Nadiyya commands. The golem complies.The voyage takes many hours. Curiously, the position of the sun does not change and day does not transition into night. It seems the laws governing time in the material plain do not apply in Kakishon.Salenax is a large, smouldering rock, dominated by the peak of an active volcano. A plume of ashen smoke rises into the sky and falling embers fill the air, thick as fireflies."Look there!" Misfar cries, pointing skyward as the volcano spits forth a cluster of flaming meteors. They are falling towards the galley! The bronze helmsman seems to neither notice or care, as he sails headlong into the shower of certain death. It is up to the heroes to defend the ship from destruction!This was a Dramatic Task, to destroy or divert the flaming debris before it wrecked the galley. The four PCs have three rounds to accumulate fifteen successes."There!" Fuk yells, gesturing frantically at the burning sky, "No, there!! No, there!!!" (Fuk rolled a Critical Failure on his Notice roll to support the others.)"Stop yelling, we see them!" Nadiyya snaps, trying to ignore the goblin and focus on her gift. She uses her power to control flame to nudge the fiery comets off course. From the corner of her eye, Nadiyya notices Zain is carefully positioning himself directly below one of the falling rocks."What are you doing?!" she screams."I'm going to catch it." Zain answers."You're going to WHAT?!""I'm going to catch it!"Nadiyya casts Elemental Protection on her friend. Moments later, a flaming rock plunges towards the deck! Zain catches it in his bare hands, screaming as his skin blisters, spins and hurls it over the side, to splash harmlessly into the ocean. Without Nadiyya's aid, he would likely have lost the use of his hands."Idiot!!" Nadiyya yells, as the big man blows on his smoking fists."It worked, didn't it?"Misfar raises the Polar Staff and unleashes a barrage of icy bolts towards the descending firestorm, freezing a dozen comets and causing them to fall short of the ship. The last of the meteors splash down harmlessly and the mountain quietens, its fury spent.The galley draws up alongside a jetty formed by volcanic glass and the party disembark onto the hellish shores of Salenax. The entire island slopes up towards the volcano. Misfar spots a cave entrance halfway up the smoking mountain. It is the only landmark in sight and the party head toward it.Inside the cave mouth, the party find a pair of large metal doors, glowing red with heat from the volcano's core. Nadiyya recasts Elemental Protection on Zain and the big man pushes open the heavy doors. Beyond lies a long hallway lined with racks of assorted weapons. A doorway to the west opens onto a wide balcony overlooking the volcano's smoking crater. An iron bridge arches over the lake of bubbling magma to a small island, where a ruddy skinned dwarf with flaming hair strikes a hammer against an enormous, glowing anvil.Only Nadiyya can stand to cross the lake of magma, the intense heat causes the others to suffer a level of Fatigue."Excuse me!" Nadiyya yells, struggling to be heard over the ringing of metal, "Are you Artel Norrin? We need to speak with you!""Da, I am the great forgemaster Artel Norrin. What do you want with me? Be quick - I am a busy man.""We have all heard tales of the skill and craftsmanship of the great forgemaster Artel Norrin," Nadiyya continues, hoping that compliments will stoke the flames of Norrin's ego, "We seek to hunt the four legendary colossi that roam these islands and need powerful weapons to bring them down. We heard that only the great forgemaster Artel Norrin is capable of forging weapons capable of such a feat.""Da, these rumours are all true," Norrin agrees, "My weapons are the best, but I do not work for just anyone. If you want me to do this thing for you, then you must first do a thing for me.""What do you want us to do?""On the island of Khosravi, lie the bones of a behemoth from a bygone age. It was called the Devourer of Magic and even dead, its bones still suppress all aspects of the arcane. A black crystal grows on the skeleton. Fill your packs with shards of this black crystal and bring them to me. Once I have the shards, then we can talk about your weapons.""Yay, another fetch quest." Nadiyya groans, adding it to the mission log. TBC</blockquote>

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