After fleeing the ruined village, now certain that the Dragon Blessed isn't following them, the Ashen Company stops running. Robbed of their flight, they are resigned to a gloomy trudge through the dark and murky swamp. Before too long they come across a large swath of water flanked by diseased-looking trees. The trees are gnarly and adorned with putrid pustules. Not wanting to approach the trees, the party wades into the chest-high muck and slowly makes their way across. Lotty rides Nessie and Null carries Flynn on her shoulders. The trek is arduous but everyone manages to avoid exhaustion.
The Ashen Company eventually reaches the far edge of the water. Now back on solid(ish) land, they look for somewhere to rest. We spot some ruins that fit the bill. After checking them over for bad stuff, we decide this is the spot. Berrik casts Private Sanctum and a 4th level Oasis before the party settles in to recuperate and prepare for the trials ahead. They are not disturbed during their rest. Before resuming their trek, Berrik casts Telepathic Bond. It's important to keep a low a profile for this last leg, and communication without speech will certainly help. As we leave, Lotty re-ups everyone's Protection from Poison (except Berrik's).
Back on the (figurative) road, the party chooses to go without light so as not to draw attention. Null scouts ahead of the party. She follows a stream that leads to a cliff face. Up or around? Sensing creatures in the vicinity, she chooses to climb instead of risking an encounter by going around. She telepathically warns her friends and urges them to stealthily climb the cliff. Berrik and Silas attempt the climb, but Lotty and Flynn opt to risk going around due to Nessie not being able to climb. Stealth fails the Ashen Company and soon around a dozen green guard drakes descend upon them, Roll initiative! The fight is long but not too difficult once the party huddles up. Flynn drops a particularly impressive Synaptic Static to turn the tide and the Ashen Company wins the battle.
Time to keep moving! There is a set of ruined stairs up the hill to our right and waterfall on our left. Null quickly checks behind the waterfall (no treasure - nothing!) before taking point and carefully ascending the stairs. The rest of the party follows. The stairs lead to a large, murky pool with gnarled tree branches sticking out. We talk about how to proceed - there's nowhere to go but through. Nessie going first is discussed, but Null is the one to take the plunge. The water is as miserable as the rest of this place, but no worse. Null spots a cave entrance and investigates - it seems to lead downward. Sure that this is the right place, she telepathically bids her friends to follow. They do, and down we go. Mordecai, utterly unwilling to read the room, starts to sing inside the jar. "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" echoes through the passage. Null urges Flynn to quiet him down, but Flynn knows Mordecai is ungovernable and shrugs. Null widens the gap between herself and the party, and so is the first to arrive at a massive chamber that is giving off huge "boss battle" vibes.
Most of the subterranean chamber is taken up by a lake, lurid and poisonous, with occasional bubbles breaching the surface. In the centre of the lake is an island, which sports a 30 foot high butte ("byoot" not "butt" 😉). At the far side of the lake, up on the wall, are a few worked stone slabs laying proud against the rock. Along the east side of the lake is a narrow shore with a few passages splitting off from it. Null decides to trigger Ghost Walk for the first time ever, in order to investigate the stone slabs without disturbing the water. The rest of the party arrives just time to see her start to cross the lake, but elect to follow the shoreline instead of going towards the lake. Null arrives at the stone slabs and sees that they are hinged. Weird. Back on shore, Flynn rounds a corner and encounters a cluster of familiar enemies - the Dragon Chosen. Flynn immediately tries to fake a surrender, but they see through it. Time to roll Initiative!
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| Property damage connoisseurs |
The lake starts to move. Claws like knives and a pair of emerald wings burst forth from the water as Nassandrial enters the fray. She lands at the top of the island and unleashes a breath weapon at the shore party, which luckily only hits Berrik (thanks to everyone else's Protection from Poison). Null shotguns a potion of flying and makes her way behind Nass. Lotty summons a construct spirit that looks a lot like Cade (hearts pangs for all) to keep Nass busy, before turning to focus on the Dragon Chosen around her. Berrik casts Arcane Hand and keeps Nass's spellcasting at bay with some clutch Counterspells. Silas is initially stuck at the rear of the pack, but starts off by casting Divine Favour before heading in to kick some Dragon Chosen ass. Flynn casts Hex on Nassandrial, nerfing her Dex and lobs Eldritch Blasts her way. And, of course, our old nemesis shows up: built like a fridge, a thicc queen, that duchess of dispelling - the Dragon Blessed. On each of her turns, she swings open one of the hinged slabs to dispel Protection from Poison (first on Null, then on Lotty) then retreats back behind the slab, out of sight and range.
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| 100% that bitch. |
We end the session at the top of the round. Nass continues to be a douchebag. Things aren't looking ideal, but we're trying our best to hang in there. The Ashen Company has gotta get creative if we're gonna outlast this.