026 - Rescue from a fire cave

Thomnor has just told the group that Troglen Axewelder, who works in Liegard at the Black and Soot Anvil, can forge together then broken halves of the Silverlight.

Tegan asks Thomnor to destroy Kynthia's body. He agrees.

The group confers to recap what they know about k and the EE's goals. k did say something about her master being pleased, and dragons being incubated with Vygho.

They decide to head directly to liegard. stepping outside the tavern, tegan unrolls Thomnor's portal scroll. light shimmers from silver lettering, and the scroll glows intensely bright. he drops it, and a portal forms on the ground. They jump in, and space bends and twists into bright magical streams of light. They emerge a short distance outside Liegard.

Aaron recognizes his hometown, although its bustle is diminished. they are approaching from the south. aaron leads the way into the city. he changes shape, taking the appearance of a brown-haired teenage human male, a form he hasn't used in Liegard before.

Aaron sees around the city an unfamiliar faction, patrolling the gates. They wear shimmery cloaks. Tegan says something about food, and Aaron says to wait until we get across the river. He excitedly gets some spiced lizard kebabs for everyone from a small gnomish lady. Wazo is thrilled. While the group eats, they scan the open-air market nearby.

Aaron notices a booth selling wine. The group makes their way over, and finds a crew-cut orc with a severe demeanor. One of the wines he sells is heart fruit wine. Wazo gets three bottles of dandélion, one for each of us. It's fruity and dry, and very floral.

Wazo gets directions from him to the blacksmith, and we head into the Orchard Gate District. The houses are older and nicer. We make our way to the Black and Soot Anvil. As we enter, a dward near the door is seated. Wazo gets his attention with a cough.

He says, "Hello, what brings you guys here?"
"We have some unusual metal, and we were told Troglen Axewelder could help us with it."
"He's been gone a few days, north of Liegard. He likes to collect ore from a cave up there."
Aaron only knows of one cave system near Liegard. He leads us about an hour away from the city walls, and we find a rocky hill with a dark opening under an outcropping. Aaron looks for animals as we approach the cave, but first, Wazo wakes up a cranky bluebird.

After a brief argument, she chases it down and tries to intimidate it into giving her information. Aaron listens with amusement, and Tegan can just tell that the conversation is going badly. Eventually she bullies it into talking, then lets it go.

She explains that it said that a well dressed dwarf went in the cave, then some big people followed him inside.

(Cave illustration)

After steeling themselves for a moment, they head into the darkness. Aaron illuminates the glow orb for Wazo. At a fork, they decide to head right.

the cave continues deeper, and on the left a waterfall descends into the depths. When he sees some bats hanging from the ceiling, Aaron befriends a bat with magic. He asks it if a dwarf has gone through, and which way did he go?

It leads the way over the falls, so Aaron polymorphs Wazo into a giant bat, then Tegan twins the same for him and Aaron. They follow Sir Wings-a-lot as he skims down the waterfall to the caves below.

Deeper down, the water is steaming, and the room is much hotter. As they round a corner into #5, we see a magma river, hissing and gurgling over a fall, and a sheet of magma seems to block the way ahead. Aaron notices some rocks which aren't melting in the magma, and the group starts piling them on one side to obstruct the flow. As they work, a pair of fire elementals burst from the magma and attack. Initiative!

Aaron and Tegan drop concentration on the polymorphs, and Wazo rages, slashing at FE1. FE1 moves closer to Wazo, missing then swiping at her and setting her on fire. FE2 moves over to Aaron, missing him then also setting him ablaze. Aaron tries to drain E2's life force, but misses. Tegan twins Chill Touch, hitting both elementals, then slashes at E2 with spiritual weapon Wazo ignores the flames, slashing at E1, then flies over to the steaming water to put herself out. As she flees, it slashes her again. E2 attacks Tegan, who reacts with Shield E1 attacks Aaron, who Misty Escapes away into the water. Then it moves towards Tegan Aaron slams E1 with two EBs Tegan disengages from the elementals, and retreats to the water. Then he takes a pot-shot with SW but misses Wazo, inspired by the Raven Queen, speaks a command in Ignan: SWIM E1 comes to the water's edge and attacks Wazo, hitting then missing. She is not set aflame since she's in the water. E2 sprints into the water, hissing and spitting as the water begins to quench its body. Aaron casts Frostbite on E1, but it resists the effect. Tegan twins Toll the Dead. Both elementals feel the effect, then he swings SW but misses. E1 attacks Wazo, missing and then hitting. E2 drowns. Aaron tries again with Vampiric Touch Tegan slashes E1 with SW, then kicks water on it. Wazo flails her wings, and together the group extinguishes E1

The bat is really impressed with the fight, and with how we keep changing forms.

Tegan and Wazo work for a while clearing a path around the lava-fall, until the group is able to get past the fall.

After a short conference, the group decides to use invisibility to sneak closer.

As they sneak closer, they hear the banging of an anvil Continuing closer, they see two dwarves, with blazing hair and flaming beards, wielding a shield and warhammer.

Wazo flies over the guards, sneaking deeper into the cave. Tegan makes an illusion of a woman screaming, which draws (all?) three guards past him and towards the noise. Aaron and Tegan rush deeper into the cave, where they see a giant wielding a glowing sword towering over the dwarf blacksmith.

Behind them, the three guards begin screaming [being attacked by a magma roper, according to the DM]. Tegan (illusion stund, fails) then he tries to Hypnotic Pattern. fails

initiative!

the dwarf runs away from the giant
wazo runs to the dwarf's side and tries to comfort him
the giant runs after the dwarf
Aaron blasts the giant with EB
wazo rages and stabs the giant
tegan twins greater invis on him and wazo
aaron polymorphs into a t-rex and roars at the giant
the giant slashes twice at aaron-rex, hitting him hard.
tegan stabs the giant with gfb, but the flames don't seem to hurt him.
wazo, still raging, stabs viciously twice, taking full advantage of her invisibility.
aaron-rex bites at the giant, then slams it with his tail.
the giant hacks twice at the dinosaur
Tegan backs away from the giant, but the giant slashes blindly as he moves away and connects hard. From a distance, Tegan hits the giant with Chill Touch
Wazo impales the giant twice with her rapier, hurting it badly
Aaron-rex slams the giant with his tail, then takes a vicious bite
The giant hacks more at Aaron, dropping his polymorph.
Tegan misses with a chill touch
Wazo hits the giant twice more, but somehow he clings to life.
Aaron turns back into a t-rex
Seeing this, the giant turns around and whales on Wazo, hurting her pretty badly
Tegan finishes him off with a crit Chill Touch

Category: AdventureLogs

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