Still battered from the earlier display of pyrotechnics, Jarder doesn't dare assert himself at this point. He feels a throb and an ache in the region of his kidneys--internal injuries, he fears.

Patch could see there was little chance for an escape, especially once the magic of his companions began to flicker and flash about. They were in poor condition to fight such a fearsome creature on a good day, with a plan and preparation. There seemed little the cleric could do, and in such circumstances his instinct was to call upon the power of his Mysterious God!

The old cleric peeked out a little from his cover, just enough to point his staff and utter a command in the dragon's direction, "Hush! Thine tongue be bound, thine utterance as mush!"

Patch then sank back behind his cover...


Casting Silence on the Dragon. He must save vs spells or be hushed!

The eldritch bolts called forth by Jayanti strike the dragon in the flank, the points of impact glowing for a lingering moment. An instant later, Killian’s fireball explodes as it nears the great serpent’s neck, the blast lighting up the dim forest with a searing orange flash.

10:07, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 18 using 1d20.  Dragon - Save vs Spells - Fireball.

The dragon takes 7 damage from the spell.

The dragon manages to veer to the left, avoiding much of the explosion, but not all of it, smoke rising from several charred scales on its back.

Even as the flames dissipate, Patch calls upon the power of Amun Tor. The priest’s prayer is answered, as suddenly, all of the adventurers hear the deep growl rising from the dragon’s throat abruptly halt, the noise forcefully muted.

10:07, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2 using 1d20.  Dragon - Save vs Spells - Silence.

The dragon is silenced for 12 turns.

The enraged creature focuses its gaze on the ancient oak. Inhaling deeply, it breathes out a torrent of lightning at the stump, which blasts the weathered wood into blackened splinters.

10:24, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 18 using 1d20.  Dragon - Breath Weapon.

The dragon’s breath is worth 49 points of damage. 10 of that is absorbed by the now destroyed stump, leaving a balance of 39.

Anyone behind the former stump (Jayanti and Patch) will take that amount of damage, unless they make a successful Save vs. Dragon Breath. A successful save would result in taking half damage (20 points).

11:01, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 3 using 1d6.  Initiative - Party.

11:01, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 1 using 1d6.  Initiative - Dragon.

The party wins initiative again, and may act.

Killian peeks back out from behind the rocks and points his hand toward the dragon. A bolt of arcane energy fly across the battlefield and slam in to the beast, as the elf returns to cover.


13:30, Today: Killian Hawkfire rolled 7,7,4 using 1d6+1,1d6+1,1d6+1.  Magic Missile.

Sorry, that should only be a single MM since Killian is 5th level.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:35, Fri 28 Aug 2020.

With the dragon's back to him, Jarder emerges from his cover and pads purposefully towards a patch of seemingly vulnerable scales.

Saving Throw vs Dragon Breath: Patch rolled 7

A failure... Patch takes 39 damage and expires.

J.D. Hogg Save vs Dragon Breath: Patch's trusty mount rolled 19

A success! However J.D. takes 20 damage and expires as well.

~~~

Patch felt a flush of relief, knowing that his spell had been successful. His contribution to the fray was important, and that was somehow very satisfying to him. He looked down upon the battlefield, blasted from the day before when he and his companions had bested a black dragon. No small feat to be sure. Now they faced a second, bolder and badder. Patch was grateful that he could watch this one play out from a vantage above, it hadn't quite registered to him yet that he was now a spectator only and forever. The Great Mystery was at his back for the moment, for his yearning and hope for his companions kept him from noticing the swirling portal to the Unknown Realms behind him.

Below, he could see his trusted mount, the giant boar which had borne him hither, had fought at his side, and had been so loyal. J.D.'s body was a smoldering heap of pork, blasted basically to bacon. Tears streaked the odd cleric's face.

"I hope someone takes my staff," he said, but his own voice sounded strange and distant. "It may be their only chance..."

[Even if Jayanti made the save, the damage would be fatal]

Jayanti crouches as Patch and the elf are engulfed in lightning.

"The first strike was mine! Forgive me, my friends!"

When the thunder dissipates, only charred bones and smoldering ashes remain.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:06, Sat 29 Aug 2020.

Orin paled as the searingly bright bolt of electricity lanced from the dragon's mouth, exploding the tree trunk and earth around Patch and jay anti.  He couldn't immediately tell whether they escaped, but it didn't matter.  They were in this for their lives now and their own magics were not going to be enough on their own.

The dwarf peddled down the trench and then emerged close to the dragon, aiming to drive the dragonspear gifted to him by the elven spectres into the beast's side.  He couldn't think of a suitable war cry in the moment, so he defaulted to a roaring grunt of effort driven by fear of failure.


OOC:

14:00, Today: Orin Starshine rolled 24 using 1d20+5.  Attack dragon .  (+1 Str) + (+3 spear) + (+1 Bless) = +5 to hit.

15:42, Today: Orin Starshine rolled 8 using 1d6+5.  Damage to dragon.

With his eyes fixed on a scale in the crevice between the dragon's left hind leg and its lumbar region, one that looked a little askew, Jarder stabs at the unprotected spot and his dagger sinks into the flesh below up to and beyond the hilt.

The thief's nose twitches, as an enticing scent momentarily captivates him. Could that be...bacon? Then another scent, richer and more powerful, overwhelms the first. The sheer umami of it nearly fells him.

Hits AC 22 for 15 dmg
15:42, Today: Jarder Mehro rolled 22,5 using d20+7,d4+3.  backstab.
+4 bs +1 bless +1 weapon +1 str

If he can find a relatively safe place from which to observe the action, Neuken will crouch his invisible self down and do so.  If not, he keeps truckin’.

Either way, he continues exercising the better part of valor.

Renia joins Orin’s charge, swinging her sword with all of the might she can muster at the dragon’s flank.

09:27, Today: Renia rolled 16 using 1d20.  Attack - Sword.

09:28, Today: Renia rolled 5 using 1d8+1.  Damage.

Greyband stands, roaring in anger, and his sword bursts into flame. "Minion of evil! Your doom is at hand! I am Greyband Dragonslayer, and you will be reckoned with!" He charges in and swings wildly at the dragon, which does no harm to the beast but which certainly gets its attention.

Move in to a whole different side of the dragon and attack, missing.
16:30, Today: Greyband rolled 6 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 2.  Charging the dragon with a flaming sword!

The dragon’s mouth opens in an enraged roar, but due to the silence spell that has been cast upon it, no sound emerges. Finding itself surrounded by determined foes, and suddenly grievously injured, it opens its wings and takes to the sky, fleeing the reach of the adventurers.

From thirty feet above, it glares down at the company, its mouth moving as it tries vainly to address its foes. Having finished its muted speech, it wheels about and flies southward, quickly disappearing from sight.

The scent of smoke lingers over the island, licks of flame still flickering on the remains of the shattered stump. Aside from the crackle of the guttering fire, the only noise is that of the wind, rustling the nearby cypress trees.

OOC: With half of its remaining hit points done away with in the space of a single round, the dragon flees. At least for now. Combat over.

Greyband shakes his fist at the dragon and then moves over beside Jayanti. For a long few minutes, he weeps for his friend, and for his new friend Patch. He then stands.

"We must bury them, then take the valuables from here and leave. Right away."

Neuken returns to the party.  And tries to say as little as possible.

Having wisely withdrawn his dagger from the dragon's flank before it had taken flight, Jarder watches it flap away, seething and bleeding. He staggers about the hellscape, too stunned to do anything but stagger. He sees the charred remains of the redoubtable hog and the grotesque pile of remains, formerly known as Patch. While he doesn't have a small spade, he does have an iron spike which should serve to further loosen the already sodden earth.

He gets to work on first of the funereal tasks: digging the graves for boar, man, and elf.

Orin's face fell when he realized what had happened to Jayanti, Patch and JD.  He'd somehow hoped the dragon's fury had been spent on the stump alone but clearly that had not saved their stalwart companions. Hanging his head, Orin said a few humble words in oratory for the dead.

Then he set about helping Jarder, though he didn't really have the proper tools.  He wasn't upset about not having a shovel, but when he realize he had no pickaxe, not even a small one-handed version he was mortified.  His dwarven kin would have been aghast, for even the Starshines as surface dwellers still knew how to delve!Alas, Orin was forced to make do wiyth a crowbar pulled from his pack, using the clawed end to hook and break up the sodden earth.

Neuken assists with the burial as best he can, taking care not to let on how the smell of charred pig is setting his taste buds alight.

The party is able to complete the burials in a short time, the passing of their brave comrades afforded all of the dignity that such a terrible loss deserves.

The surrounding wilderness remains quiet, with only the buzzing of the insects among the reeds giving any sign of life. Despite the terrible cost exacted by their confrontations with the dragons, the survivors sense a shift within the forest; the collected trees no longer appear foreboding, the shadows beneath the canopy having lost some of their strength, giving way to beams of sunlight that stretch from the treetops to the forest floor. The heaviness that held sway over Lothenar has yielded to a sense of hope, the promise that in time, the woodland will return to being a place where life and nature thrive.

Collecting all of the valuables, the company makes their way back to the main trail that winds through Lothenar, the path that leads northward to the Tower of Gereth Minar.

Of the men's belongings, Jarder only recovers Patch's holy symbol of Amun Tor and a vial of holy water. One of those items he plans to return to Patch's religious superior, so the cleric can receive the proper veneration. The other he plans to toss at the first ghoul, ghast, or wight he sees.

Even with the lightening of the mood in Lothenar forest, more beams of light and occasional bursts of bird cry, Jarder clomps along heavily, his spirits heavy and his boots still mysterious. He wonders if there will be any more disasters on the road to Gerath Minar.

Neuken notices how the forest has become less foreboding, how the shadows have lost their terror, how the land is more at peace, and feels so ashamed that it’s as though the moon itself has crashed into him, preferring falling from the heavens to serving witness to this disgrace.  The guilt is like having cancer in all the worst places at once.  It’s a plague comet forever slamming into his inadequately evil heart.

I’m sorry, dad, a grief-stricken voice whispers inside him.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:48, Tue 08 Sept 2020.

Greyband takes Patch's staff and potion. He puts the potion in his own pack but moves to Jarder. "This is a healing staff. Please hold onto this for now until we can find a cleric to use it for us."

He then takes all of the magic items that Patch was holding and puts them in his backpack. He then grabs as much of the fused gold or other valuables that he can fit in a sack and packs it. When he's done with this, leading the party on their way.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:27, Tue 08 Sept 2020.

"We've made a grave enemy this day, at the cost of several good lives. Let their sacrifice serve as motivation when the time comes to face this beast again and whatever other challenges lie ahead." Killian solemnly says to the party as they head back to the trail.

Once the rites had been completed for Patch and Jayanti, Orin dusted off his hands and set to packing up.  He scooped what gems and chunks of gold he could find into his pack until the weight was noticeable but not unbearable and then formed up to move out with the others.  With the thought of the blue dragon in mind he kept a hold on his spear for the time being, his hammer resting reassuringly by his side should need be.

Neuken offers to take first watch when the time comes.