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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1008516" data-attributes="member: 1210">The Dragon Attacks!"This makes me nervous," mutters Drelvin.  He can't help but think back to the time he fought the undead lake monster and lost a leg. In fact, Drelvin's theme song is very simple:Drelvin- he fought a lake monster!Drelvin- he lost his leg!Drelvin- he guards the Queen!Drelvin- he lost his leg!Drelvin- he slew a devil!Drelvin- he lost a leg!The lyrics vary, other than the refrain, for the poor fellow has lost his leg many a time.  But not recently, not for years, in fact, and he's hoping that he won't lose it again any time soon...Then, as the icebergs bob all around them and the Isle of Vu, on which are allegedly the Halls of the Unbound, and the icy rain patters down on them (which, naturally, the fiery Angelfire despises, oh does he hate it), there's an angry wet roar as the beast rises from the deep.  A classic sea serpent in shape, long and sinuous, its neck seems to rear up and up and up- and then, as fast as a whip, it slaps down and seizes Drelvin by his leg, ripping him from the boat.  "Aargh!" the elven archer yells, struggling vainly to free himself.  There's a huge wave of motion as the party frees weapons, fires arrows and moves towards it- it's just off the side of the rocking boat, and the motion throws the group off just enough that only Thrush manages to land a significant blow.  But Lester can fly, even here, due to his wings."Let go of Drelvin!" he cries, and slashes with his blade, drawing long slices across it even as it smacks at Thrush with its flukes.  Sybele catches her balance and fires a virtual swarm of arrows at the monster, the shafts sinking deep into its hide.  It gnashes its teeth around Drelvin's midsection; the archer cries out in pain."I've been wondering whether this will work here," Horbin the Holy comments to no one in particular, and he casts a spell and scrambles forward across the tilting deck towards the beast.  Reaching out, he lays his hand upon it- and his harm opens terrible wounds all over it.  "Gotcha!" the cleric crows as the sea dragon lets out a terrific squeal.The monster's throat works as it tries to swallow Drelvin, and his voice rises reedily in a scream as he holds on to its teeth for dear life.  Its huge tongue batters at him.  "Die!" Drelvin screams, trying to kill it with his mask of the skull, but the spell fails to take full effect.  Still, it's enough- the damage the spell's partial effect inflicts is enough to make it go limp.  Malford tosses a rope to the archer and he and Sybele swiftly drag the elf through the freezing water and back to the small fishing boat.  The beast lies quiescent on the water while our heroes batter at it with blades and arrows.  Polo of the Storms remains standing, gaping in awe, through the whole thing."Look!" cries Orbius.  He's pointing at the beast's rapidly regenerating wounds.  Our heroes exchange another look, then redouble their efforts, trying to keep it down long enough to get to the Isle ahead.But, Horbin knows, that won't be enough; if the thing lives, surely Polo of the Storms will be its prey on his way back to Icewater.  So the cleric of Dexter invokes a series of spells to slay it outright, and though it resists two destructions and a slay living, his final death spell kills it and, with a horrible final wail, it sinks below the waters."By the gods!" Polo speaks at last.  "The dragon was real!"  Orbius, a tongues running, tranlates for the group.  "Of course it was," the L says, rolling his eyes.  "These things are always real, and they're always waiting for adventurers to come kick their asses.""Yes," Malford proclaims (first casting a translation spell of his own), "and the glory of the great god Malford has laid it low for all time!"  For the brief duration that his spell lasts, he preaches his gospel to Polo while the drunken fisher poles them further along towards a rocky island dotted with ice, with a strange stone building atop it, constructed of loosely stacked stone blocks.And, in just a few brief moments, they climb to it.  A cold opening seems to lead within it...Next Time:  Going home at last?  The Halls of the Unbound!</blockquote>

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