Enter the Dragon

Things are looking grim indeed.

Our trip back into the mountains started out pleasantly: finally, some regular old pastoral countryside. I don't know how the farming is here, but compared to the gloom of the woods and the desolation of the broken plains, the moors seem rich and gentle. Once the track up into the mountains got steep, things became consideraby less peaceful.

We were ambushed by a giant man standing atop a 100 ft high outcrop, who hurled boulders at us until I could snare him with a Web. Getting into a position to do anything about this assault was painful and time-consuming; I gave Malakar the power of flight, and the rest of us managed to find a trail up. It's difficult to fight without a clear line of sight, and when your opponent has the high ground. I was grateful that we were a full contingent: Son of Clouds, Barrin, and the two small Gargoyles joined us, and even with all of them surrounding the big biped it was a close call. There was a path leading away from the ambush spot, but we elected to press onwards to find the mysterious "shadow" we were seeking.

In hindsight, I wonder why Malakar didn't use his bear form in this fight; perhaps he's hoping that Ili will forget about it if he doesn't change again soon, or perhaps there are some limitations on his ability to change form.

Further up the mountain, we spotted a cagelike structure ahead in the fog. Using clairvoyance, I determined that it was the ribcage of a tremendous Silver Dragon, dead for some time. We sent Borrow ahead, invisible, to scout, and he reported back on an extensive system of caves, including a large cavern full of Shrieking mushrooms (apparently commonplace down below), and guarded by a quartet of Nothrogs, inattentively gaming in a side chamber. To complicate things a bit, Borrow described a Shade Lion (used by the Nothrogs as mounts) which smelled him but appeared friendly and didn't raise the alarm. We approached the Nothrog's chamber as stealthily as the eight of us could, and I began the fight in the preferred fashion, with a Fireball. This time there wasn't even a door to deal with! I couldn't see clearly from back in the cooridor, but it was a short, ugly fight as the others surrounded the surprised Nothrog. As it turned out, the Nothrog were well-trained and well-equipped, so it's a good thing our plan went off without any major glitches.

After releasing the friendly Shade Lion, Borrow attempted to interrogate the sole surviving Nothrog. The usual threats from Ili helped us to get at least a tiny bit of information -- a room of importance to the dwarved, with a rune-encrusted door and a statue of Kor, lay beyond the great northern chamber (the one with the noisy fungi). Not exactly an immense pearl of wisdom, but it was enough to spare his life (for now at least: Malakar knocked the contemptible Nothrog unconscious with a fell punch before we continued).

When we reached the great brass doors (traipsing through the mushroom patch), It appeared with the faintest whisper of sound:

A large dragon, black as night, but with wisps of shadow curling around it indistinctly. Before any of us could react, it breathed, and most of us were enveloped by a vile dark lance of horror. A few quaked in fear, most of us were stricken with frailness and distemper, and Barrin and the Gargoyles were all struck blind.

(Irony #1: When we heard Jerrold babbling on about the Shadow, we assumed we'd be facing phastasmic or spectral opposition; not a dragon! Magic missiles aren't going to do me a lot of good against It's innate spell resistance.

Irony #2: I've been wearing an Enemy Spirit Pouch which assists in fighting dragons, mostly in jest, never thinking it might have practical purpose. I wish I'd given it to Malakar or one of the other fighters -- it's not going to do me a whole lot of good.).

The mad seconds that followed, filled with screams and shouts, passed slowly as we rushed helter-skelter for the open door. I was among the last, and almost slipped as the dragon caused the ground to become slick. Son-of-Clouds followed with a deft leap over the slippery ground. Nobody seemed to be able to shut the door, and I rushed over to help Borrow search the altar and statue for a clue. As we hurriedly flipped through a prayerbook (Borrow figured out quickly that it didn't hold any supernatural powers to aid us), the dragon stretched its hideous horned head through the open door and mauled Son of Clouds with its vicious teeth. I tried to assist the sporadic efforts to close the door by lubricating the hinges; I don't know if it helped, but Ili and the others finally ground it into motion. Alas, Ili too was struck blind by the noxious breath of the dragon before the portal finally clanged closed.

We're in poor shape, we're trapped, and any moment the Dragon may break back in. Think, Obegard, think! It's not a Black Dragon, it's not a Shadow Dragon, at least not exactly... it must have some weakness, if only we can find it before we're crushed and consumed.