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.