OOC: For any of you who have been snoozing, I think things are going to get really interesting now.  If you don't start posting, your characters may be targeted first, if the storyline leans that way.

You follow to the left.  The blue water turns an even brighter glowing blue, so bright that you do not even need lanterns or light sources because of its luminescence.  You walk down the left bank as the current grows strong like a river as more water flows in from rills on your right as runoff.

The ground is slightly muddy and slopes down as you continue toward the source of where you heard the man's screams.  The river then flows down about 10 feet into a large cavern filled with water.



As you approach from the south (as oriented on the map), the mud beneath your feet gives way to very slimy and slippery rock.  The path is like a 5-10 foot wide bridge forming a rough plus (+) sign with ledges going right, left and forward before the forward path leads to a roughly 40x40 foot flat area.  There are two small "islands" as shown in the map.

In the place marked X, though obscured by the pillars of rock, you see an old man with white hair laying spread-eagled on his back.  He is on some sort of platform that seems to be just 6 inches to a foot underwater, so that the water nearly covers his body except his head.  His hands are chained, and the chains extend around and have him shackled to a pillar on his left and on his right, with his legs chained to a spike driven into the outcropping of stone wall south of his feet.

Several channels of water drain into this area with heavy currents.  The water in here is extremely torpid and has an undercurrent pulling toward the west (where it is marked "60 ft").  At that area is a 60 foot tall waterfall, and all the water seems to be draining in that direction.  If you get pulled into the water anywhere in the room, you can imagine it will be a hard current pulling you under.

The currents in the room have also created so much steam and spray that you cannot see much beyond the center of the giant chamber because it is obscured and dark.  (The area marked with a rough half circle in the northern half of the chamber shows where you cannot see--fog of war.)

The noise of all the water rushing and draining in here is also so loud that it is hard to hear.  That is perhaps why the thing perched in the center of the platform area straight ahead of you still seems to be slumbering.

Yes, a dragon lays curled in the center of the squarish platform area that is directly in front of you.  Its eyes are closed and it appears to be unaware that you are present.  It is a luminescent blue, but almost translucent in places.  From head to toe, it is probably 50 feet long.

The water here is bright blue, and you believe it may be the healing water discovered previously.  Now...to just find the bushes of berries.

Borimer flies higher and tries spot the bushes from a better vantage point.

Borimer begins silently flying higher(staying clear of the dragon).

PM
This message was last edited by the player at 21:56, Thu 27 Apr 2017.

Leo quietly draws his weapon and remains in the shadows until the group decides on a plan.

Tahldar watches the man cry out and wishes he could free him right then and there.  But he can't as he's too far away and to fly or dimension door there might wake the dragon.  And even if the did that he doesn't know the knock spell, so he'd be little use to the man.

But first before they can address the man in chains, they have to deal with the dragon.  He eyeballs the great wyrm and surmises he could use a wall of force to encompass the entirety of it.

But he pauses a moment.  It almost seems too easy.  He can cast one of these spells but once per day and he is loathe to waste it.  He wonders if the dragon is some sort of illusion.  He concentrates hard.

OOC;  Will try to disbelieve that the dragon is what it really is.  If after that it still appears as is, I will cast a wall of force in a hemisphere shape to encompass it.  Sphere diameter is 27'.

RULE CLARIFICATION:
POTENTIAL ILLUSIONS: If you are attempting to determine whether something is an illusion or not, I will roll a secret roll for a save vs. spell for you and add any wisdom bonuses to the roll, along with any other adjustments. What you are told depends on the margin by which you passed or failed.

If you succeed by a wide margin and there is no illusion, I will tell you that you are quite confident there is no illusion.

If you succeed and there is an illusion, I will tell you your belief that there is an illusion (with the strength of such being determined by how much you succeeded in the roll).

Whether there is or is not an illusion, if you fail then you will be told either that you do not believe it is an illusion or...

...you might be told you think it is an illusion when it is really not an illusion.

This last presents a potential danger to trying to think everything is an illusion without evidence.

YOU WILL NOT BE TOLD WHAT THE ROLL IS.

Tahldar begins concentrating on the dragon area...

Borimer continues to fly north. 

Borimer's movement has awakened the dragon, and its eyes flit open.

Without any great concern in its voice, it says in a deep, gravelly voice, "TO PASS, YOU MUST THROW SOMETHING OF GREAT VALUE INTO THE CURRENT."  Its long, sinewy head nods to the water, which flows with a strong current to the westernmost side of the cavern.

It stares at you, waiting for a response.  You can smell an offal stench emanating from the dragon

Tahldar looks the scene over.  "It may be an illusion.  I'm not sure." he says after a bit of concentration.

But something is just off with what he sees, and add in the awful smell coming from the great "dragon" makes him even more suspicious.

Whether it's the right decision or not, he casts a spell.

OOC: I will cast dispel magic on the dragon.  Range is 120 yards and affects a 30' cube.  Base chance is 50%, plus or minus depending on skill level difference.  %5 per level difference.

Kahan says, "As you wish," to the dragon and drops the Rod of Absorption into the water.

Borimer continues north for fifty feet...

currently using a shield
armor class 5
wielding Chianta (currently in hand)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:43, Sat 29 Apr 2017.

For this portion of the adventure, please indicate the following:

1) what your character is wearing (armor, etc.)
2) the character's armor class (including bonuses)
3) what your character is wielding and/or holding

Between slippery rocks, a deep and turbulent current of water, and other potential hazards, I have to look at more than just armor class, such as available hands to grab things, how fast you will sink to the bottom, etc.

Kahan shakes his head, as if awakening from some fog that the dragon put over him, before looking around the cavern for any sorts of advantages. He watches the water to see how deep it is, contemplating his next move as he usually does, rarely ever wasting his time on bad ideas. "Tahldar, would you be able to free that man, or not? I feel like he might be of use," the priest asks quietly enough so hopefully the dragon can't hear.

Leo stays alert for the moment but doesn't do anything to provoke the dragon while he waits to see how it responds to Kahan's tossing of the rod.

After Kahan throws the Rod of Absorption into the water and watches it sink in the turbulent, 20 foot deep water, the dragon repeats in its deep, gravelly voice, "TO PASS, YOU MUST THROW SOMETHING OF GREAT VALUE INTO THE CURRENT."

Borimer continues to float north, and disappears out of sight.

OOC:
1) Your characters don't know much about dragons because they are native to Allevia, not on Tienna, where you are from.  So you really wouldn't know much about breath weapons other than ancient lore, the Xren Codex, or the Allevian Chronicles, but none of that would really be reliable.  This is only the second dragon the group has faced.

2) All the "land" areas shown are only a few inches above the turbid water and are slippery and wet.

3) If you swim to the 60 foot deep area by the waterfall (which is where the Rod of Absorption drifted off to in the current), you will have to make swim checks with modifiers each round or receive subdual damage and be held underwater and battered each round until escaping with an additional -5 penalty, or is rescued.

Also, because the waters are so turbid, underwater vision is limited to only 20 feet, and 10 feet underwater results in half concealment, 9/10 concealment at 20 feet, and full concealment after that.

This message was last edited by the GM at 23:17, Wed 03 May 2017.

"That was an item of great value!" Kahan argues, before casting a spell.

[]

"Ware a second dragon in hiding!" Borimer flies back towards the first dragon at full speed, cruising over the top of it and straight back to his companions.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:52, Thu 04 May 2017.

Tahldar is about to cast dispel magic on the dragon when he hears Borimer's call.

Fully confirmed the dragon before them is a ruse, the mage changes tactics and casts a different spell.

OOC: I will cast reduce on the changed man.  My range is 45yards so I can reach him.  I can make him quite small, but I only wish to reduce him enough so he can slip out of his chains.  I'm guessing 50% reduction would suffice.  He gets to save vs spell (at -3) if he's unwilling to accept the spell. 

Kahan begins casting.  Tahldar stops before casting as Borimer returns and lands in between the party and the dragon in front of you.

Tahldar casts reduce on the man in chains, and he is reduced to half size (about 3 feet tall).  His wispy white hair falls back over his head wet as he slips into the water and then steps, and swaggers from weakness, on the water ledge.

Kahan reduces the water level in a 10 foot square area that goes 20 feet down to the muddy ground below and then climbs back up to where the old (shrunken) man now stands on rock.  It has created a 10 foot across, 20 foot down span between your party and him.

The dragon repeats:  "TO PASS, YOU MUST THROW SOMETHING OF GREAT VALUE INTO THE CURRENT."

Tahldar successfully casts his spell, but he winces a bit for an unknown reason.

"There's a spellcaster about!" the mage states in what is likely to be obvious to everyone.

Immediately he begins to cast another spell.

OOC: Cast detect invisibility.

Borimer flies to the shrunken man and picks him up. If successful he'll fly them both back to where Tahldar is standing.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:51, Fri 12 May 2017.

Shae will test out the illusion theory by running up and hitting the dragon with her magic spear.

Hoping that Shae is a distraction Leo moves up but tries to stay unnoticed to where he could rush the dragon if needed but also in case the illusion theory is correct he looks for the spellcaster that Tahldar mentions.

Kahan casts another spell. "I will see what's really going on here," he states to nobody in particular.

Tahldar casts detect invisibility. 

Kahan begins casting a spell.

Borimer flies to the old man laying on his back.  The man has very long white hair and a white beard.  Most of it is soaked in water as though he has been there for a long, long time.  Although he looks shrunken and weak, he appears in perfect health without a scratch on him.

"You are a dream," he says, cackling a little.  "A dreamy dream dream."  He laughs a little and closes his eyes, then opens them again.  "Still dreaming."

Because of being shrunken to 3 feet tall by the reduce spell, his shackles fell off him.  He totters as he stands, as if he has not used his legs in a long, long time.

Borimer picks him up and takes him back to the party.

The Dragon says:  "YOU TEST MY PATIENCE.  THROW SOMETHING OF GREAT VALUE INTO THE CURRENT TO PASS."

Shae runs up to hit the dragon with her magic spear.  Surprisingly, it does not seem to react or attack as she approaches.  But then she falls...right into the floor and to the water below.

Leo slips unnoticed into the darkness and begins looking around. 

Shae begins floating toward the west down the current.  It is a heavy current and she struggles to keep her head above water.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:29, Fri 16 June 2017.

Borimer will fly to Shae and attempt to pull her out of the water. If successful, he'll fly them back to the others.

Kahan looks around the room, gulping almost audibly as he sees something the others can't. "We cannot stay here. There is no way for us to fight the dragon, the real dragon, past the illusions he has set up. As Shae demonstrated, the rocks and the dragon in front of us are fake. The real dragon is further away, above us on the right past the darkness," he explains as quietly as he can, without making any gestures or other signs that the dragon could take as his illusions being found out.

"I can cast two more fly spells, and I still have my wall of force.  Borimer has a fly spell already.  What if I cast my fly spells on myself and you Kahan?  Could you then buff the three of us in some way?" the mage whispers to Kahan in reply.

Kahan shakes his head at Tahldar's idea. "The flight would be too long, the dragon would see us coming and either blast us out of the sky, or cast more spells. Perhaps the old man knows something, but in his current state he won't be much help," he muses aloud.

Not seeing anything interesting Leo moves back over to where the group is.

Tahldar has a thought.  "Be ready.  I'm going to try something."

Beginning to speak loudly he says in the language of dragons the following, "si tir ti jikahshi wux re okh. si siofme wux janik filki qe voga tija. display doutan arcanissar, darastrix, usv svabol rinov wux re, sjek wux tuor udoka ekess jikahshi wux."

OOC: Tahldar is speaking in Draconic.  If anyone knows draconic PM me and I'll copy what I'm saying to you.

Shae does not wait to be "rescued."  She is a druid.  She shapechanges into a dolphin and follows the current to explore the water.

Borimer flies to back to land by Tahldar, Kahan, and Leo, quietly preparing to fight a dragon unless someone can figure out what's valuable enough to stop it.

"Shae, get my rod back if you can!" he pleads with the druid, hoping she can hear him over the current. He notices Borimer pull out his sword, filling the warrior in to the situation.

Sorry again for delays. Just got off vacation.  Have a trial in a few weeks, which sucks up all my time.

Shae transforms into a dolphin.  Any injuries she sustained were almost instantly healed by the water.

Leo rejoins the group.

Borimer also flies back to the group upon seeing Shae safely transformed.

Kahan shouts out to Shae to get the rod back, and then Tahldar says in draconic, "si tir ti jikahshi wux re okh. si siofme wux janik filki qe voga tija. display doutan arcanissar, darastrix, usv svabol rinov wux re, sjek wux tuor udoka ekess jikahshi wux."

Above the din of the rushing water and through the mist of swirling steam throughout the cavern, you hear a deep voice respond in the common tongue:

http://screamingbee.com/SoundClips/COD/Shade.mp3

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
"Stay away from here. I'm warning you."

---

Then you hear a loud splash about 100 feet in front of you and to your right.  A moment later, a dragon's head pops up out of the water, moving from side to side like a pendulum or mesmerizing snake as it takes you in and sizes you up.



Then it snarls deeply and dives back into the water.

Borimer takes a step towards the water, "And if I do as I wish instead..?" He stops and sheathes his blade, "What is the item of great worth you desire?"

The dragon pops its head up about 20 feet away.  Even underwater it heard Borimer--perhaps his thoughts as much as his words.

It hisses, "Desire?  Kulequatzl desire all.  Kulequatzl take all. You slavering mortals have awoken me.  You despicable mortals have slain Kulequatzl's child, taken his head.  You make trophy of my kin? Your existence shall be tolerated no longer."

With that, the dragon dives down in the water again.  You sense that you have only moments.  The dragon's vile hatred toward you was unmistakeable.  Dragon fear grips you but you each hold your ground.

The miniaturized old man with white hair begins laughing maniacally, "He'll kill you now.  He'll kill you all."  He laughs with the laughter of a madman.  "He'll finally kill me too."

Leo quickly tries to find a place to hide in shadows and then look for an opportunity to attack if things go down as they appear to be headed.

The mage nods at the sight of the dragon.  It would seem to be real indeed.

As the mage listens to the dragon he realizes the creature has dropped a hint at the mention of it's child that he should have picked up on much sooner.

"Kahan!  It uses cold.  Cast all the protective spells you have versus cold!"

OOC:  Tahldar will hold his action.  He will wait till he thinks the dragon is going to breath on the party then cast a wall of force (in whatever shape as needed) to block it.

Borimer whispers to the anyone near him, "What or who did we kill and take the head from, apparently it was this wyrm's child. If we have it, we don't have to fight."

"We cannot hope to fight this dragon while he is in the water. We must leave this place, now!" Kahan instructs before casting a spell, ushering everyone to either gather around him or get behind him.

Borimer steps near his old friend ready to fight but not wanting to die in this place. If combat ensues, Borimer will fight with his feet in the water if possible.

In dolphin form, Shae explores the watery area including where the staff went, but she tries to avoid coming face to face with the dragon, hoping it's distracted.

Shae swims toward the west and down.  She sees a number of items and treasure down there--the dragon's hoard.  The pile is created by the water pressure from the strong current pushing west that keeps everything pressed against a recess in the lower west area.  The rod of absorption is there on top.

Kahan casts a spell, and the air around you suddenly gets warm and balmy.

The old white haired man, now shrunken thanks to the spell, begins to panic, mumbling incoherently as he runs south, back up the long corridor you just descended from.

The dragon rises from the water in front of you, but then its head turns to the right as it realizes its hoard is being approached by a dolphin.  It immediately dives back into the water to go after Shae.

Borimer attempts to grab the white haired man before he can flee too far, chasing him down if necessary but being gentle with the little guy nonetheless.

"Someone should help Shae, but I can't as I have no spells for water just yet." the mage says he watches the dragon swim after her.

OOC: Tahldar will hold his action.

"Borimer, wait, Shae needs help. Leo, get him," Kahan instructed, casting a spell before putting his hand on Borimer.

[]

Borimer flies into the water and attempts to put himself between the druid and the dragon.

flying with free action under water may be faster than swimming, otherwise Borimer will swim instead

Shae swims around the back side of the cavern to see what she can about the place, both above and under the water.

Leo continues to look for an opening but he isn't fool enough to dive into the water after the dragon.

In dolphin form, Shae swims around the north side of room, flipping up out of the water to get a view of the entire chamber.

Borimer gets a free action spell on him and dives into the water.  The whitewater rapids of the rushing water acted to hide what was directly underneath.  Borimer finds himself landing on the back of the dragon near its tail.  He grabs on, sword in one hand...

The dragon is circling clockwise to chase after Shae.

The miniaturized old man with white hair is fleeing south in panic away from the chamber.

Borimer starts slashing at the wyrm's scaled back with the full fury of a terrified man...

Tahldar begins to cast a spell.

OOC: Tahldar will try to cast charm person on the old man.  Range is 120 yards.  He hopes to stop from getting too far so he can ask him a few questions.

Kahan continues to cast spells. "We need to make it to the other side, and leave this place until we can fight the dragon elsewhere. Now you can walk on water," he tells everyone.

Because of delays and dropouts, here is the list of who I think is currently with the party:

Borimer (human warrior) (active)
Kahan (human cleric) (active)
Tahldar (elven mage) (active)
Shae (half-elf druid shapechanger) (active - currently in porpoise form)
Leo (Halfling fighter/thief assassin) (active)

Vuzyl (drow thief) (absent?)
Lukas (human rogue) (absent?)

My memory is failing me too, but I believe Donovan and Shapfren met a heroic end in one way or another.  Shapfren is in the memorials, but I don't recall Donovan--maybe the cave in?

(Haven't seen anything from Vuzyl and Lukas in awhile, but I do not recall them dying and haven't put them on the memorials. I may reassign their characters or temporarily NPC them.  You will probably need all the help you can get as we finish the climax to this adventure.)

In double checking, it looks like Vuzyl and Lukas are still alive.  I will assume that they are hanging back in the corridor with the remaining gnomes.

Please don't forget the gnomes.  If they all die, it will have a profound effect on the next adventure.  (2 out of the 6 remaining gnomes currently suffer from the disease.)

Also, as noted previously (although it's been awhile now), remember that the golden box is glowing brightly now.

Scratch my last post. Kahan will instead attempt to open the glowing box, calling out the dragon to face him.

Leo continues to stay out of site looking for an opportunity, or will run off if the group decides to deal with the dragon elsewhere.

Kahan takes out the glowing golden box as others continue taking actions...

Leo hides in the shadows.

Borimer strikes with his sword.  He is atop the back of the dragon and gets the blade in between the scales.

The dragon squeals a piercing cry and surfaces above the water with Borimer on its back.  But as most dragons, it is highly intelligent.  Borimer finds the dragon turning sideways and launching upward to smash Borimer into the ceiling and stalactites.

Borimer jumps out of the way just in time.

Tahldar is casting.

Shae successfully evades the dragon as it is distracted.

The heat from the previous spell is dissipating the fog, clearing your view of the entire room.

Borimer has just landed in the spot marked with an X (in the northeast), which is a perch about 10 feet above water that has green vegetation.  The X at the bottom is where the white haired man came from.



Tahldar finishes his spell, but nothing seems to happen. 

Kahan cannot find any way to open the gold box.  However, it catches the dragon's attention.  The dragon's wounds from Borimer heal almost immediately.

The dragon is now jumping into the raised center area (which is about 1 foot below the water level).  The dragon is far too heavy to be swept away by the current there, but it is leveling its gaze at Kahan.

"Give that to me," it says, rearing back its head.

Borimer flies back and lands on the water nearest Kahan, sheathing Chianta but ready to continue fighting if this doesn't go well.

"You can have this if you let us leave with the cure for the black death. Otherwise we will leave the way we came and you will never see it again," he responds, drawing his shield out in front of him in case the dragon attacks.

Tahldar waits in case his wall of force is needed in the event the dragon tries to engulf them with his breath weapon.

OOC: I will hold my action.  I will cast my wall of force if I sense a breath weapon attack is coming.

Shae swims around and grasps the rod of absorption in her dolphin mouth, trying to swim around back to the platform where everyone stands to turn back into regular form and give the staff back to Kahan.

Actually, Borimer is in the upper right area on a platform in the area marked X, so he cannot get back to where Kahan is without jumping into the water, swimming against the current, and going to the southern side of the chamber.

Borimer had a fly spell cast on him. Not sure on the duration though.

Borimer flies to the bushes to check them for berries...

if he doesn't have fly, then whats the current like in the southeast corner near him? could he swim to the bushes?

The bushes are full of red, juicy berries.

But...

The dragon is alerted to Borimer's position and immediately begins retreating to that corner to go after Borimer.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:41, Thu 24 Aug 2017.

Kahan begins backing out of the cavern. "Leave him be, or this box will never return to your possession!" he calls out.

Shae flops up and changes from porpoise to beautiful half-elf in midair, landing gracefully on the platform next to Kahan.  She holds out the Rod of Absorption to Kahan.

The dragon ignores Kahan with its body, but sends out with its mind the words that everyone hears in their own native tongue, "Do you really think you can outrun my talons, mortals?"  The dragon lifts up from the water until its front legs are perched on the ledge with the X, its wings extended.  Borimer is now blocked into the back of the cave staring at the angry face of the silvery blue and crystalline dragon.

Borimer can see the outline indentation of the dragon on the ground in front of the bushes where it must have been curled up for centuries.  He sees also small shards of crystal all around, as though a glass window was shattered here.

Ozymandius the dragon does not appear to be preparing a breath weapon, but instead appears to be lying in wait for Borimer to attack first, its fangs bared and taloned claws extended.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:23, Thu 24 Aug 2017.

How far away are we from the entrance to the cave? Also, did anyone chase after the old man, who apparently we should 'beware'?

I'm assuming you backed up to where the "U" is at.

We will say that Vuzyl restrained the man.

"This is your last warning! Let us leave peacefully, and you can have your child's head back. Your quarrel is not with us! We are not even from this land. The wizard Ashe sent us here to save Tiena from destruction, and now it's happening to your planet, too. If you kill us, you will simply end up dying in a matter of months anyway," Kahan calls out again, ushering the others to step back just as he has. Borimer could hold out long enough to see if his plan worked...

Borimer gives a wolfish grin to the wyrm, "Don't wanna destroy the berries, huh?" No nasty wyrm's breath yet...
This message was last edited by the player at 23:26, Thu 24 Aug 2017.

Shae says to Kahan and the others, "I saw a lot of treasure down there where the rod was at.  There were also a number of crystal statues of people."

Tahldar is at a loss of what to do.  But his ears pick up at the sound of treasure at the bottom of the water.

"Can you grab some of it's treasure to barter with the dragon for the berries?  We seem to be at an impasse." the mage says to Shae in hushed tones.

Leo tries to slowly move toward the exit trying to stay hidden since it seems like bargaining might be how this ends.

The dragon seems unmoved by words and turns its head toward Kahan and the rest of the group, drawing in a deep breath as its nostrils flare...

Kahan casts a spell.

Kahan goes into a slight trance...
PM


OOC: The dragon is obviously preparing its breath weapon.  Is Tahldar still planning a wall of force?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:30, Tue 29 Aug 2017.

Vuzyl brings the miniaturized white-haired man back to the cave with the others.  The drow rogue says, "I got him.  He was trying to escape."  When he sees the dragon ready with its breath weapon, he dives to the ledge on the west side where the old man had been chained up.

Tahldar casts a spell.

OOC: I will cast wall of force. It will last 19 minutes and I can create up to nine 10' squares.  I will create a bubble around us, but allow us to escape out the back.  And squirt around the sides and into the chamber if need be.

Borimer takes the opportunity and attempts to fly to the bush and collect berries.

Shae stays within the bubble of safety, ready to fight if she can.

She responds to Tahldar's question by saying, "I can't shapeshift into a fish again today, so I can't get the treasure right now.  That may be a question for when we get out of this mess."

PM

PM

PM

To Shae: It was actually a "mammal" (porpoise), not a fish.  Shae has used all of her transformations for the day (bird, reptile, mammal).

Please note that the dragon is long and serpentine.  Therefore, it can fit through the caverns you just came from.

I did not give a map of the caverns themselves, but here is a replay/synopsis of what you observed coming in since this has taken many months in real time:

You were deposited in a lake with an exit ahead (we will call it "north").


The passage ended in a T.  To the left (west) was a ceiling only 6 feet high at the highest that curved left:



To the right (east) was a tall cavern full of stalactites.  The water continued to the right of the T but not on the passageway to the left of the T.



You heard noises to the right of the T and went in that direction.  It curved and turned into a Y junction (northwest and northeast).

The party followed the left side of the Y fork in the cavern, following the deep water.  The tunnel widened into a round waterfall cavern with an exit to the left:


You found chalk markings on the wall with an arrow pointing to the left to continue down the corridor.  It was a fairly fresh marking.  You found footprints of what you believe were Fingas and Battrus going left.

You went left, where there was solid ground on the left side of the tunnel and water on the right side.  You found a place where there might be an underwater cave:


You decided to explore the underwater cave before continuing down the passage.

You found yourself in a 50' diameter cave of ice with waist deep water:


You saw a dragon encased in the ice wall, but its head had been chopped off.  It looked to be the same type of dragon as Ozymandius, but about half the size.

You followed another passage in that cave to a small cavern that appeared to have been carved out of the ice in a nearly perfect sphere.  You found a chest embedded in ice and a skeletal undead creature in the ice behind it, where there had been an apparent ice cave in.  Shards of barbed ice fell from the ceiling in a type of trap.  The barbs appeared to have some sort of poison that would not allow bleeding to clot, and Borimer was bleeding badly.

You defeated the undead guardian and took the chest.  Inside you found 200 gold coins of an undetermined currency, a sackcloth 2x2 in size that felt unnaturally strong and waxy to the touch, and a gold cup with engravings that translated as:
"cup of water of life"
"pressed lips release its boon"
"fill and hold, sip and see"


The cup has a liquid that cannot be spilled.

Borimer drank from the cup and fell into a trance (at first seeming to be dead), but he received a vision.

You followed the river to a fork (northwest or east).  To the east, it trickled into a rivulet stream and mud.  You saw human boot prints heading east (Fingus and Battrus).

To the northwest (left), the river flowed downhill strongly and deeply.  You could hear a man screaming in pain (who turned out to be the man with the white hair).  Then the gold box began glowing strongly and to pulsate:


You went northwest toward the human scream, and the water turned even a brighter glowing blue as you followed the muddy ground on the left side of the river.

After descending, you entered the current very large cavern, where you discovered the illusory dragon, as well as Ozymandius speaking in your heads in your native languages.  You also discovered (when Shae fell into the water), that the dragon had created illusory ground in front of you.



The heavy flow of the rivers into this area mixed with the bluish glow of the healing waters and drain to the west.  In a stopped up area at the bottom of the water to the west is where the dragon keeps its treasure, and among it are some crystal statues of various humans and demihumans.  Some of them are broken from erosion, but all are actual size.

Ozymandius finally showed himself/herself and proved to be just as insane and murderous as Etag warned.


Borimer found where the dragon has lain for centuries in the crevice above the lake, which is also where he found the berries you need to cure the disease.

With the illusions dispelled and the foggy mist dissipated, you saw the cavern for what it was:



You currently have the white haired man, who is panicking and miniaturized, in custody.

The six remaining gnomes are up the path behind you out of harm's way with Lukas.

And the dragon is about to unleash its breath weapon on you...

Did I miss anything? :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:18, Wed 30 Aug 2017.

PM

FYI, nothing about the layout of the caverns is necessary per se to making it through this.  There is no "clue" or hidden secret that you have to solve.  I don't like to do that to players.  I just like to set the ground for many possible outcomes and plans.

So when you reread the summary, remember that it is just that: a synopsis.  I'm not hiding the ball or suggesting you overlooked anything.  I just want it all fresh in everyone's memory so that you can be creative and not tax your brains too much.

Kahan lifted the box over his head and yelled, "If you want it so badly, come and get it!" He then promptly turned around and ran back through the caverns.

I will assume everyone follows Kahan except for Borimer who is still on the ledge.  (Remember that the gnomes, some elderly or ill, are also with you and are unlikely to be able to outrun a dragon.)

Kahan and the others run back up the stone steps into the large caverns behind.

The dragon lets out its breath, which impacts the wall of force conjured up by Tahldar.  The wall of force blocks the silvery, crystalline spray from the dragon's maw.

The dragon dives into the water to go under the wall of force and follow the retreating members of the party.

Borimer is still at the bush of berries in the niche above the water.

PM

would the berries fit through borimer's wineskin top? he could fill it with the special water and then put the berries inside

Yes, the berries would fit.  They are about the size of blueberries.

Borimer quickly fills the container with berries and enough water to keep them submerged.

Since the dragon is going after Kahan and the group now, please be specific about where you will be going as you backtrack through the caverns (such as "taking the first left" or going back the way we came until we reach ___.)

Keep in mind that you have the gnomes with you, and they are not fast runners, so you need to figure out a way to keep them out of harm's way.

Anyone who does not post will be assumed to be following Kahan's lead.

Kahan wants to go just far enough until he finds a slim corridor, hopefully not too far but far enough that it won't be easy to run back to the water. "Borimer better hurry up..." he mutters.

Every corridor you've been in so far would fit the dragon.  Remember that this dragon is snake-like in appearance.  Snakes can fit into all sorts of small places...

I want him to be able to fit, but not turn around. At least, not easily.

Tahldar contemplates his next course of action.  Taking the brave route he stands his ground and begins to cast.

OOC: Tahldar will stand his ground to try to give his compatriots time to retreat.  (Assuming the dragon will close up and attack him)  He will cast stoneskin on himself on this turn.  Casting time is 1 and it will block 1d4+4 attacks.  I took the liberty to roll and got a total of 6 attacks.

Shae follows Kahan, running as fast as she can.  When they get close to the gnomes, she yells for Vuzyl to take them down the left hall that they haven't explored yet while she and Kahan go straight.

She yells back to Tahldar, "Can you cast something to keep it on this side of the wall once we pass so it can't come back and heal?  Hopefully after everyone who is going to fight it is on this side."

Her ancestral spear is ready, but she is looking for a break to cast a spell. Meanwhile, she follows Kahan.

Shae and Kahan run south back up the tunnel.

Tahldar is casting...

A shimmering glow covers Tahldar just as the dragon reaches him.  Unfortunately, the dragon is more intent on chasing down Kahan.  But it stops just long enough to swipe a claw at Tahldar.  The hit is powerful, slamming Tahldar across and into the wall, where he slumps to the ground on the platform where the old white haired man was found.  But he is unhurt in the attack and rises back to his feet.  (1 attack down.)

The distraction was just enough to allow Kahan and Shae to get farther down the corridor.

Vuzyl and Lukas usher the now shrunken old white haired crazy man and the remaining gnomes into the corridor to the east (to the left as Kahan and Shae are running south), and try to get them to a point of relative safety away from the dragon.

Borimer has put the berries in his waterskin filled with the Earthsilver healing water from the lake below.

Leo has remained hidden and the dragon moves right by without paying him any attention.

Borimer, Leo, and Tahldar remain in the large cavern with the water.  Kahan and Shae have a good headstart on leading the dragon down the southern corridor. It is obviously seeking possession of the glowing golden cube held by Kahan:


Meanwhile, Vuzyl, Lukas, the crazy old man and the gnomes are off in the corridor to the east hiding.


Shae and Kahan reach the curve where the underwater tunnel leads to the beheaded smaller dragon and where the chest and cup were found.  They can dive down there or continue south toward the way you initially came.

It is harder to move quickly here because of the water and mud, but so far the dragon is not within view behind you.

OOC: The water in this chamber isn't the healing water, correct?

Borimer flies back to Tahldar, gives him the wineskin, and gets the direction of the wyrm. He takes off in a sprint and hunts it down...
This message was last edited by the player at 11:12, Fri 13 Oct 2017.

Leo tries to quietly follow the dragon and looks for an opportunity for a surprise attack from behind.

Kahan tosses the cube on the ground in front of himself and casts a spell on himself from the Rod.

Borimer keeps running/flying to hunt this wyrm down. It's here somewhere...how do you hide a big blue flying snake? The warrior keeps hunting...

Kahan sets the cube down, casts magic mirror on himself and steps out of the way.  The dragon comes through the tunnel, mesmerized by the cube, which it lifts in one hand.

Kahan takes this opportunity to retreat back toward the others.

He meets Borimer on the way out, and the two regroup.  Borimer now has all the ingredients needed to fight the disease.

When you regroup near the fork in the road, you start leading the gnomes down the tunnel deeper.  It slopes down, and in some muddy spots, you can see the imprints--fairly fresh--of boots.  Fingas must have come this way.

You make it about 100 yards down the tunnel when you see that the tunnel has caved in.  Luckily, someone (and you can guess it was likely Fingass and Hatt) started unburying the cave in, leading to a small but navigable tunnel escaping this area.

Leo and Shae go first, followed by the remaining gnomes.  Then Tahldar and Kahan squeeze through the opening through the piles of rocks.  Vuzyl goes next, but his clothes catch on an outcropping and he struggles to get them loose--

That is when you hear the screech of the dragon and know that it is approaching from behind you in the cavern.

Vuzyl pulls himself loose and continues through, leaving only Borimer and Lukas on the outside.  Borimer strikes a pose, ready to fight on one side of the cave while Lukas does the same on the other.

That's when you hear the intake of breath--a giant WHOOSH-- and the dragon's breath comes down the corridor.  Unlike most dragon's breath, it does not cone outward but instead comes as a thinly focused spray.  And the breath itself glows like quicksilver into a myriad swirling colors.

The breath strikes Lukas.  It is not acid.  It is not fire.  It is not steam or ice or anything else you might expect.  It hits Lukas, and just as he cries out in pain, his body turns to crystal, frozen like a statue.  Being off center, the Lukas statue, and all that he held, crashes to the pile of rocks and shatters like glass.  All that Lukas was and possessed is now gone.

You remember the other crystal statues at the bottom of the lake and can surmise where they came from.

There is little time to think.  Borimer holds the key to the disease, and he quickly pushes through the small opening to the far side, where the tunnel goes down and deeper...

...and then suddenly, for the first time in days, you see daylight.  You scramble to the mouth of the cave, which expands to an opening 100 feet wide, and breathe fresh air.

Behind you, the dragon lets out a menacing screech, unable to fit through the cracks of the cave in.

Borimer runs to the light...