Lucian's eyes flicker open and he realises that he's alone in the dungeon beneath Castle Naerytar and his companions are nowhere to be seen. They wouldn't leave him would they? He picks himself up from the cold, damp floor and surveys his surroundings. He's in the stairwell of the lit cavern they entered some time ago though he has no recollection of how long ago that was. The last thing he remembers was a jabbing pain in his temples and then darkness.
He carefully makes his way to the eastern exit from the cavern and finds a wall. It looks out of place. It's too regular to be constructed and he detects the lingering echoes of magic. Strangely, there's a gap underneath it - just wide enough for a person to crawl through and he does so. He finds himself in another cavern which has a steep climb to a raised section of the cave. There are muffled voices up ahead. Could that be the others? should be easy enough to get up there. He tucks his staff into his belt and begins to climb. Good footholds get him almost to the top and then he's there. He grabs a handhold but there's something slimy and his hand is slipping. "Wait, is that…. blood?" And then he's falling, flailing wildly he crashes unceremoniously to the hard floor, winded and bruised.
Elsewhere in the cavern, Beef's sharp hearing picks up a noise and he slips off into the darkness to investigate. As he draws closer he can hear curses. It sounds like Lucian. Looking over the edge, he sees Lucian sitting at the foot of the incline, rubbing his bruised shoulder. He lays down and extends an arm which Lucian gratefully takes and is hauled up to be reunited with the rest of the party. They explain the events of the past few hours and discuss their next move. Return to explore the rest of Castle Naerytar or head to the Portal? The decision is almost unanimous. The Portal it is. Meanwhile, Byron mutters something about gems in the castle.
Mist swirls around their legs as they stare at the portal whilst Lucian attempts to determine the type of gateway. In the end, he can only tell them that it's a magical portal for sure but he doesn't know what type. Even the spellbooks found in Pharblex's sanctum offer no clues as to its provenance. The group turns to Beef, asking him to recall ancient Bardic lore on portal magic. He tells them that most portals require a command word to activate their magic. They deliberate some more and decide to invoke the portal. Finn tries something he once read in a fairy tale by famed Elven Bard, T'al Kien. Nothing happens.
It occurs to them that they may well have slain the ones who could have provided the clues as to the command word. Or maybe there are clues in the castle above? With no other options, they decide to return to the castle. Rather than walk past the giant frogs that are now gathering on the shore of the cavern with the lake, the group decides to go back the way Lucian came. Byron stopping briefly to collect Pharblex's hat,
The party descends the incline with breathtaking displays of agility, each more flamboyant than the last. Lucian, not wanting to be outdone and seeing them make it look so easy attempts a backwards vault. It goes horribly wrong and he plunges headfirst over the edge. With the ground rushing up to meet his face, he desperately gasps out words of power and floats gently down the last few inches into a somewhat awkward handstand before finding his feet.
Back in the castle, the heroes proceed to search it room by room. They venture down a long causeway which leads to the Barbican. Beef leads the way but pauses as he nears the tower. It smells of death, his hair stands on end and he turns back. The party briefly considers what's down there, surmising that this might have been the thing that Snapjaw told them about. Throwing caution to the wind, Farraine charges down the corridor and into the barbican. The corners are dark and the stench of decay, overpowering. A hideous creature, part giant cat, part tentacled fiend launches itself at Farraine. Only his reflexes and frantic parries save him from being mauled horribly. The creature seems to shift and be in two places at once.
The companions, seeing Farraine in trouble unleash missiles and magic at the creature causing it to turn hissing with rage as it fixes its malevolent red eyes upon them. Farraine seeing his opportunity lands some heavy blows and before he can land another, it disappears. Beef can make out Farraine swinging wildly but can no longer see the beast. He hears it behind him.. too late, it's tentacles lacerate his back leaving deep blood welts and tears in his chain shirt. Fighting for his life, Beef unleashes Silvery Barbs and Blasts of Eldritch power, but the creature's relentless assault continues.
Byron and Lucian, seeing Beef in danger attack the creature, unleashing a flurry of blows and firebolts while Finn continues to deal damage from distance. Farraine, realising he's too far from the beast, unslings his crossbow, landing a difficult shot through the swirling combatants. Seeing its enemies closing, the creature disappears and reappears beside Finn, severely wounding him. Finn closes his eyes waiting for the killing blow, when he hears Beef shouting at him - "Shield, you fool!" The warning couldn't have been more timely as Finn gasps out the words of power and the tentacles smash against an invisible barrier. Byron, seeing Finn on his knees darts across the hall throwing himself into the fray, fists and elbows landing crushing blows. Incredibly, the things is still moving… but not for long. Beef, unable to see the creature calls upon his guardian spirits to guide his will and unleash a shattering blast. His call is answered and the creature screams in rage one last time as it is obliterated, banished to its home plane.
After rest and healing, the search continued. This time in the tower from which Rezmir had emerged on the previous foray. Proceeding up the three levels of the tower, they meticulously search each room. In one such room, they discover writings belonging to the Elf that they dismembered the day before. A rambling diatribe about the supremacy of the Elven race and his wishes for the return of a new age without humans and other lesser races. Lucian recognises the name of a fringe Elven group calling themselves Eldreth Veluuthra.
A couple of hours pass by as they scour for clues. They discover a library of stolen tomes containing hundreds of books. Probably worth a small fortune to collectors in Waterdeep or indeed the centre of learning at Candlekeep. A few other treasures make their way into backpacks until they finally locate Rezmir's chambers on a third floor tower. Amidst papers on Rezmir's desk is a beautifully scrawled note. The clue they've been searching for. The command word - "Draezir".
After a brief discussion, it's decided that now might be an opportunity for some rest before they continue to the portal but the conversation is cut short. Screaming from outside! On running outside to investigate, they discover that something is very wrong. Panicked lizard folk dash for cover as a large shape passes overhead followed by a gurgling roar as if a geyser had erupted in the main courtyard. More screams… Farraine notices a red glow from his scabbard, which means only one thing. Shoving lizardfolk aside, he powers his way across the courtyard. Finn and Beef look up to where the lizards are pointing and they see a huge Black Dragon circling around for another dive. The world spins, their legs feel weak and they run blind terror compelling them into the safety of the great hall, down the stairs to the caverns, vaulting steps 3-4 at a time to escape the abomination above. The rest of the party follow in haste, not wanting to become separated in the chaos.
Standing in the misty cavern, having composed themselves the companions gather in the teleportation circle. Finn shifts uncomfortably as he feels something wet down his leg. "It's probably just sweat.." he thinks, thankful for the concealing mist.
The faint glow of the magic circle casts an eerie white light on the underside of their faces, they look around as Farraine mutters the command word. "Dranzar…Drezir… Draezir!" Having finally found the word, the portal lights up and they feel a sickening lurch as if they're falling.
Blinking in the bright light, they survey their surroundings. Dark pine woods are all around on the slopes of a mountain valley; the air is cold and fresh, a stark contrast to the warm fetid swamp and caverns they left behind. Pine branches shift and sway in a gusting, fitful wind.
A squirrel chitters and then falls silent, skittering away into the forest. Two ancient lichen-covered stones stand to either side of them covered in weathered runes, now barely discernible. up ahead is a small log cabin in a clearing. Behind the cabin are yet more moss-covered standing stones. Sitting in front of the mountain cabin is a figure dressed in white robes and armour. She stands warily as they approach.
Here they meet a Half-Elf female named Talis. They exchange pleasantries and are invited to sit and eat with her. From Talis, the group learns that Rezmir passed by the cabin a few days ago and in somewhat of a hurry. Talis seems amused by the Half-Dragon's hasty retreat from Castle Naerytar with a prisoner in tow (who matches Sister Garaele's description). They also learn that Rezmir is planning on using a flying fortress called Skyreach Castle with which to transport the stolen hoard. The flying fortress is currently docked in a crevasse next to the village of Parnast, a half-day's journey from here. She muses out loud that it would be a terrible shame, were something to happen to Rezmir's hoard. The flicker of a smile at the thought and of Rezmir's fall from grace.
Furthermore, Talis gifts them with a flag bearing the colours of Dragonkind. Black, Red, Green, White and Blue. They'll need to display it if they are to have any hope of infiltrating Castle Skyreach. They'll also need to utter the passphrase when challenged - "Tiamat, our mother and strength!"
When questioned as to why she is helping, she nods and states that it's a fair question as she's about to ask for something in return. Kill Rezmir. Seems like a reasonable request given that the party has a score to settle with the Half-Dragon.
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