In this session, our party moved on from the kobold lair, found some dragon eggs, and started the fight of their lives…

Kobold lair and secret hallway

• Immediately after the last session, as the echoes of their slaughter of the kobolds died down, Zoyana realized that she was hearing hissing barks and roars coming from up the stairway that they had come down.
  • Confident that the barking was coming from the drakes locked behind a gate, the party pressed on up the southward stairs that Zoyana had not explored on her previous visit to the caves.
• At the top of the stairs heading southward from the kobold lair, Zoyana checked the door for traps and then pulled it open. Revealing a hallway positioned over the narrow space between the rooms with the mushrooms and the bats.
  • The stone floor had a series of holes in it, revealing the passage below.
  • On both ends of the hallway, she saw wooden shelves holding vials of black and amber liquid. Pliny investigate the vials and did not notice any magic. Aegar collected 8 each of the black and the amber vials.
• Pliny looked down and noticed one of the guards heading below toward the cave with the bats. Aegar let the others know that he thought they wouldn’t have much more time.
• Pliny then checked the door at the other end for traps. Seeing none, he opened the door quietly and peeked through.

The Dragon Shrine

• Past the door, Pliny saw another series of steps, leading 20’ into a large room. On the floor in the center of the room, he could see part of a large tile image depicting the head of a blue dragon and more. At the far end, he could see what looked like steps heading away from the room.
• Pliny tested the top step with Mage Hand, and being confident that the stairs weren’t trapped, started descending.
• About half the way down the steps, Pliny spied a human woman in blue robes, who immediately noticed him (roll initiative!)

The Chest

• Fang complied and headed over to the chest while panting “ok ok ok”. He reached out, and as he lifted the lid, he, Zoyana, and Pliny heard a snap, followed by a hissing sound Like dozens of angry snakes and like liquid moving through open tubes.
  • A moment later, liquid sprayed from dozens of tiny holes in the walls and ceiling. Wherever it splashed, moisture in the stone bubbled and smoked. The party all tried to jump out of the way, but even with that they all got splattered (4 hp acid damage).
  • Within moments, the chamber filled with acidic mist. The party tried to hold their breaths, but their lungs still burned (3 hp acid damage). Too distracted to keep up her summoning spell, Zoyana’s wolves vanished.
• As the mist settled, Fang flew at Aegar: “Why did you make me do that? What? What? Why’d you make me do that?”. A discussion ensued about the appropriate way to approach a chest in a dungeon (check for traps!).

Just a breather

• The party took a much needed breather and spent a few minutes investigating the room.
  • Zoyana cast Cure Wounds on Fang, and told the others that the clerics were the same clerics she had seen in the command tent.
  • Aegar kept his guard up for movement coming both from the passage they had come from and from the way that the cleric had run, and set Fang to watch the rope for anyone coming down.
  • Pliny checked the lever and realized that the lever was connected through the wall to a ritual plate that had held the jelly, and the
  • Aegar Lay on Hands to Pliny (10 hp) and then checked the treasure chest. Inside there was
    • A string of pearls (300 gp),
    • A gold-and-sapphire ring (900 gp), and
    • A pouch containing a half-dozen masterfully cut and polished precious stones (100 gp each).
  • The cleric had a pouch with 11 gp, a medallion with an image of Tiamat with the blue head on top, the blue robes and leather armor built into her vestments, and four daggers (one of which was silver).
    • Aegar said “Ilmater forgive me” as he pocketed the medallion of Tiamat, and gathered the rest.
• During the fight, Pliny had looked back into the next room and noticed a large container that appeared to be holding two dragon eggs.
  • “We should be very specific on what we’re doing and make like wise choices, but there’s the fucking eggs in there. Like let’s get to the eggs, let’s do what we’re doing with eggs. Let’s move with purpose. We know that dude up that ladder like…”

The Eggs

• Pliny and Aegar led the party into the next room. The ceiling rose and the floor sank, creating an immense room. There was a wide ledge running along the middle in a U shape, with stairs going that had caged-off sides and a gate at the bottom. The cliff was about 15’ down, and the roof rose another 20’ up. There were stalactites descending from the ceiling, and dripping water rang out across the room.
• As Aegar walked in, he saw (Perception 17) a pair of drakes hiding in the back corner behind a cauldron that appeared to be holding two black dragon eggs in some black liquid.
  
• When they stepped further in, the party saw glowing embers under a yellow metal brazier, which held a pile of sand and what looked like it might be a blue dragon egg.
• Aegar pulled his crossbow and sent it sailing across the room, clanging harmlessly against the wall.
• The farther drake hissed loudly as Pliny struck it with a crossbow bolt (10 hp)
• Zoyana pulled a javelin and sent it flying straight into the chest of the same drake (crit; 14 hp)
• The closer drake charged the party and tried jumping up the cliff toward the party.
• Aegar sent a crossbow bolt over the now close drake.
• The farther drake charged the far wall and made its scrambling leap up the cliff. It charged the party and closed most of the distance.
• Pliny cast Sleep (15 hp), which was insufficient to affect anyone in range.
• Fang hung back and cast Mirror Image on himself.
• Zoyana Thorn Whipped the nearer drake (7 hp) and pulled it up closer. The drake saved itself from taking any fall damage.
• The drake, enraged by the whipping, jumped up the cliff and bit a small bite out of Zoyana (4 hp), and flailed at Aegar with his tail.
• Aegar, having been buffeted by the drake, missed his war hammer swings.
• The farther drake charged Aegar and bit down on his leg (8 hp), but swung its tail around ineffectively.
• Pliny cast Dissonant Whisper on the farther drake (15 hp psychic damage), causing it to immediately turn and run.
  • Zoyana struck out with her scimitar (9 hp) and Aegar struck out with his Smite enhanced warhammer (10 hp), dropping the drake.
• Fang flew up and blew his breath on the drake, charming the beast.
• Zoyana struck out with her Thorn Whip and knicked the drake (2 hp)
• Aegar, over his shoulder, noticed some cultist guards approaching down the stairs from the kobold cave.
• The first of the cultists ran up to Pliny, reaching out to slash with his scimitar. Pliny looked over his shoulder at the cultist, said “No” with his Cutting Words and escaped the slash unharmed.
• The guard drake stood there mesmerized by Fang’s breath.
• Aegar, pissed off now, swung his warhammer down on the back of the drake, enhancing the shot with a Smite (crit, 29 hp), and then missed with his second swing.
  • Aegar then cast Sanctuary on Pliny.
• Pliny cast Enhance Ability at 3rd level but held it with the intention of touching Zoyana and placing it on her when she moved closer.
• A cultist ran up to Pliny and tried to attack, but was thwarted by Aegar’s Sanctuary
• Fang cast Color Spray and blinded three of the cultists, then turned invisible and flew back toward Zoyana.
  • Both nearby cultists missed as they slashed about at the thing that flew by them.
• Zoyana cast Cure Wounds on Fang (9 hp)
• One of the cultists gritted past the Sanctuary and slashed at Pliny and still connected even though he was blinded. Pliny tried wit with his Cutting Words (“Hey, little feller. Right now we’re fighting the animals, and are saving you for the next chapter, you’re weak.”) to little effect (5 hp damage total).
• The guard drake took a bite out of Aegar (8 hp), who Rebuked the Violent in response (causing 8 hp radiant damage to the drake)
• Another cultist came running down the stairs and into the shrine
• Aegar pulled back with his warhammer and swung an upper-cut, Mjölnir-style, and knocked the drake off the cliff and impaled it upside-down on a stalagmite. The raging Aegar of violence then stepped around Zoyana and Pliny and caved in the skull of one of the cultist guards.
• Pliny used a reaction to release his Enhance Ability on Aegar, providing Bear’s Endurance (advantage on Constitution checks and 8 temporary hit points).
  
• Pliny then cast Dissonant Whisper on the cultist in front of him, causing the cultist to screams and blood started pouring out of his eyes and ears.
  • As the cultist took a step back, Aegar met him with a swing in the face. The cultist crumpled to the ground.
• The last of the cultists blinded by Fang turned and fan backward trying to create distance between him and the party.
• Zoyana stepped up between Pliny and Aegar and Thorn Whippped the nearest cultist 10’ closer (doing 4 hp damage), and then stepped back behind Aegar and Pliny.
• Aegar called out “Fucking shit” as a humanoid came into view from the direction of the alcove and rope ladder.
• The cultist Zoyana stepped up to Pliny, but missed his attack.
• Aegar bashed the cultist into the wall (5 hp), dropping him, told his partners to “go after the cleric!”, and then ran up to the cultists and swung wildly.
• The cleric from the shadows stepped forward, and Aegar felt an immense urge put upon him to drop his warhammer. An urge he calmly ignored.
• Followed by the blossoming of a ball of fire, centered at the point between Aegar and Pliny and Zoyana. All three felt an immense burning heat. Both Pliny and Zoyana fell, as Aegar’s scales smoldered from the fire.
• The session ended with Pliny and Zoyana lying on the ground, Aegar haggered and facing two cultists, and Fang just out of range of the fireball, 18 seconds into its Mirror Image…

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