Vasorn, the World Under Dragonfire

[Zerth]

*Zass'sk stands up to meet Eleth.*

"You would challenge Sssarendor himself? You are more brave than you are wise, my friend."

*The lizardman is silent and looks serious, but then smiles mysteriously.*

"But I won't say, I wouldn't join you, when the proper time comes," the lizardman says putting his massive scaly claw on Eleth's shoulder as a sign of friendship.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"I can't carry them, I'm not strong enough," Renea says, "Besides, I have my hands full." The drow woman is carrying a squirming backpack in both arms.

*Kilvash can help shoulder Ishmael, while Gortag grabs Elugaegian. If you stop to grap their most easily accessable things, the half-dragon had the excellent two-bladed sword, and there's several small boxes of fine jewelry you can tip into your packs. It will be a pittance against two Cagebreaker's lives, but the gold will help the resistance.*

*You all have to run to find the exit, but realize that trying to slide two bodies down the steep ascent won't work. Alyshia and Kilvash start doubling back to the mines, dashing to the side of running servants and the occasional dragonkin. There's a lot of screaming coming from all around, and you can hear explosions come from below.*

"Gardanax is coming!!" you hear someone shriek, and from a deeper mine shaft you hear the deadly roar of a very large and enraged dragon. Another dragonkin notes you and shouts, "Rebels!" You find yourself being targeted by arrows from the dragonkin, but as they were in the process of retreating, none of you take more than a minor wound. You're crossing a no-man's land in the main shaft, before you lies the rebels, behind you lies the enemy.

*You pound down the rough passageway, Gortag and Kilvash slowed by their burdens, Renea with a wand out, blasting darts of light behind her, her other arm clutched around her squirming bundle. Alyshia uses her own crossbow to send heavy bolts back towards the running dragonkin as they continue to dash toward safety.*

*Finally they see the vague forms of duergar and mindflayers, along with the heavily-muscled and liberally beslimed skum. You dive behind their cover, and one of the duergar breaks off his attack to go tend to you.*

"Damn, that's a high price," he says, looking at the two fallen. "Look, you guys get out of here while the getting is good, we'll bring the dead when we retreat. Meet at the north hole, got it?" The north hole is a kind of neutral campground. It's good for resting in relative safety, but it does not contain anyone or anything of vital importance. It's also good for bringing in prisoners.

[OOC - Gortag takes 6 points of damage, Alyshia takes 8, other than that you're ok.]

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

*Eleth returns the lizardman's smile.*

"Often wisdom must take a back seat to revenge. You and I both know that, I think. When the time comes, I will be happy for your aid."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Very tired and rather bleary-eyed, the members of the Cagebreaker team find their way to north hole after three weary days. Dessa is there, and she quickly hustled Zykovian to a private tent before any could see him.*

"Grim, Ellimon, Guran, you did a good job. We just got word back, we killed three of Gardanax's kids, two of them unexpectedly, killed a great deal of the dragonkin, we don't have exact numbers yet, and we took out five half-dragons. Gortag took out one all on his own, nearly.

"However, I have some bad news. Ishmael and Elaugaugein died in the Cagebreak, they were overwhelmed by dragonkin. Gortag, Alyshia, Renea, and Kilvash brought their bodies back yesterday, so you can talk to them about it if you want.

"We also have some good news. We've apparently aquired another ally aside from you Zykovian. A lizardman name Zass'sk helped one of the mind flayer teams kill off two dragons, and nearly took one of the younger kids out himself. Mind flayer Sekyen saw the whole thing, as did Grathax, you remember that beholder we met going to the mines? They can both vouch for him, as can Dragonstalker Eleth. He got separated from his group and came upon Zass'sk when he was fighting the dragon. So... I'll be sending them over to speak with you in a bit. The council won't accept you two without eyewitness statements about the fact that you actually killed dragons.

"Zykovian, I'd like you to stay here for a little while. I have to announce to the camp that there's a half-dragon amongst us or you might get a sword in your gut for a welcome. I'll be back to get you in a bit.

"Now, tell me, what all did you find, and who's the girl?" Dessa finishes.

~~~

*Gortag, Alyshia, Renea, and Kilvash get back to north hole about two days after the assult on Darkstone Mines. Dessa looked quite saddened at the loss of two of their own, but promised to let you know the minute the others got back, so you could tell them about it in more detail.*

*However, in your journey you learn something rather odd. The squirming bundle that Renea was carrying? It is an amethyst wyrmling!*

~~~

*Zass'sk and Eleth get back to north hole with the slaves shortly after Gortag and Alyshia get back. Zass'sk is taken aside quickly, along with Seyken, Grathax, and Eleth, and grilled about his motives and involvement. As promised the mind flayer and the beholder back his words, and Eleth shows the tooth of the dragon he killed as proof of the dragon's death. And as dragonslayers would never just say that someone shared their kill unless it was true, it is that that convinces the council to let Zass'sk stay.*

~~~

*Finally all the dragonslayers, old and new are together again in a place of relative safety and peace. The former slaves are being tended, fed, healed, and have started training with weapons. Now you can all speak with those other Cagebreakers that made their assult on Darkstone mine, share your stories, and meet those new rebels that have recently joined the cause.*

[OOC - Whew! What a long, strange trip it's been. Gortag, Alyshia, Renea, and Kilvash's group found approximately 20,000 gold worth of jewelry.]

 

[Dark Nemesis]

*Alyshia took some time, to rest and recover her spells. Then, when she felt better, she took part of her share of the jewelry that they had stolen from the dragons, and bought a cask of wine. She intended to track down each of the Cagebreakers, and perhaps even that half amethyst dragon, and share a drink with them. It was not much, but every Cagebreak deserved some small celebration, even ones that ended with such a heavy toll.*

 

[Keia]

Zykovian Sarellion: Half-Sapphire Psionic Fighter/Rogue

"Zykovian, I'd like you to stay here for a little while. I have to announce to the camp that there's a half-dragon amongst us or you might get a sword in your gut for a welcome. I'll be back to get you in a bit.

*Zykovian bowed his head slightly at her comment, apparently in acquiescence to Dessa’s instructions. His mind, however, was a flurry of activity . . . Zykovian wasn’t really certain why he was still with the rest of the group. Freedom perhaps, but Zykovian was considering that the same suspicions and ranking would occur here as well as his home. The drow female, Antiphia, also played a role – certainly he commitment to seeing her safely out of the mines limited desire to escape and abandon her. Maybe the fact that Zykovian had made his choice back in the mines . . . and had no where else to go, was the final deciding issue.*

"Now, tell me, what all did you find, and who's the girl?" Dessa finishes.

*Zykovian looked to the others first before answering the question – he didn’t want to step on any unknown pecking order. *

“The female is known as Antiphia, she was the hoard slave of Kelvarix, Gardanax’s late offspring. She was crucial in securing Kelvarix’s hoard, and sought her freedom from the slavery of the dragons,” Zykovian stated. He looked at Dessa a moment, trying to read her mood, then added, “I told Antiphia that I would protect her and see her to freedom, I alone take responsibility for my actions if it was the improper action to take.”

 

[Paxus Asclepius]

Grim Daergal, Svirfneblin Cagebreaker

*Grim adds his own account to Zykovian's, delivering it as objectively as possible, and recounts the items which were recovered both from the scouting team killed by Grathax and from the hoard.*

 

[Zerth]

Zass'sk - a new lizardfolk Cagebreaker

*Zass'sk and Eleth get back to north hole with the slaves shortly after Gortag and Alyshia get back. Zass'sk is taken aside quickly, along with Seyken, Grathax, and Eleth, and grilled about his motives and involvement. As promised the mind flayer and the beholder back his words, and Eleth shows the tooth of the dragon he killed as proof of the dragon's death. And as dragonslayers would never just say that someone shared their kill unless it was true, it is that that convinces the council to let Zass'sk stay.*

Zass'sk was quickly taken aside for questioning, that seemed to last forever, but the hulking lizardman stood where asked and answered patiently to all questions. When the process was finally over, he thanked Sekyen, Grathax and Eleth for their support and promised he would fight with honor among all other Cagebreakers.

The day had been long and he was still tired from all the wounds he had received in the recent battles. The lizardman needed a little time of his own to sort out his thoughts and heal his wounds. But soon he would seek out opportunities to meet the other heroes of the recent cagebreak, of whom he had only a little knowledge thus far.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

*Eleth, after vouching for the lizard man, whose name he now knows to be Zass'sk, decides to go find some of the other cagebreakers who participated in the mission and talk with them.*

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Dessa looks at Zykovian, then at Antiphia, and finally at Grim, then nods shortly, a strange smile on her lips.*

"It won't be easy for you here, just ask Guran. But we'll watch your back in battle, give you food, shelter, and succor, and try to keep our opinions behind our teeth. You've shed dragon blood, and that's something that's a guarenteed in. Because you can never go back, you know that right?" Dessa says, going serious again.

"Come, I want you to meet Zass'sk, we picked him up on this raid too," she says, after you answer, and will lead you to the "common" tent where all of the Cagebreakers are gathering.

~~~

*Alyshia, there really is no wine down here, as it takes so long to mature, and the towns of the resistance move so often, that it's really impractical. But you can get a particularly nice batch of vul, the slightly alcoholic, spicy drink of the Underdark, to share. It costs you a fine silver necklace, made to look like lace, but it's a generous little cask made by one of the better vulters (as opposed to vinters).*

*Eleth stops by the common tent later that day, looking for the others from the Darkstone mine to talk to