As the Cloud giant Goruthan brings the floating castle down towards the mountain behind the town of Riventa, the gigantic white dragon looks up at them, but does not move from the nest of ice that it has formed on the ruins of the temple of Aster. The orb of Aster, an ancient dragon egg is lighting up the nest in the dim moonlight.
The heroes discuss their options. Ramming the castle intot the dragon is suggested but Goruthan looks doubtful. Ix casts Sending to the Dwarven Wizard Satrogur “We need your assistance. Be ready to send us to the astral plane when we recall to the Dwarven stronghold.” Satrogur confirms. The party decides that extracting the egg from under the dragon is the main thing they need to do. Using a bag of holding will at least shield them from its deathly touch, and may have some interaction with the enchantments on the egg itself.
Goruthan saddles up the two rocs at the back of the cloud castle, and the Fire Giant Grugnok (friend of Sengo) flies Nagwen to distract the dragon, with Ix invisible, hanging onto the roc’s leg. Serma, Julius, Valrick and Teren are flown by a Frost giant on the other roc and will extract Ix after the egg is bagged.
Nagwen is attuned to the 3 commanding artefacts and as he approaches the dragon on the roc, activates them all. He uses a cantrip to amplify his voice, and commands the dragon. “You will leave this place!” The dragon uses a Legendary save to resist the powerful artefacts! “I will do no such thing!. Although you fly with a despicable giant you are a dragling! Who are you to try to command me?!”
Ix drops invisibly to the edge of the nest the dragon is on and misty-steps the last 30 feet to avoid impact. The dragon does not notice.
Nagwen engages the dragon with the tale of the egg being an evil aberration, overtaken by the soul of a fiend and the divine spark of Zantras the kingmaker. He rolls a natural 20 to persuade, and the dragon actually believes him! The dragon considers.
Ix makes his way stealthily through the ice crystals towards the egg.
The dragon bellows. “Evil is merely a matter of perspective. No concern of mine. The divine spark of the Kingmaker you say? My spawn could become a god? This may be a noble thing!”
Ix gets close enough to the egg to see it, it is behind a wall of ice and it is slowly sucking flakes of ice into it. He will need to be careful, but he slips and there is a cracking of ice. The dragon stops talking to listen, but does not notice. (Ix stealth roll was 7 but got inspiration from Valrick to succeed!)
Now Nagwen talks of the selfish Ultroloth C’Thanubaal, whose soul has been drawn into the egg, and requests that the party be allowed to destroy the egg. The dragon refuses, and Nagwen replies “Then you will not stop us.” At that moment, Ix misty-steps past the ice wall and is next to the egg. It has become smaller than it used to be, but is burning as bright as ever. Ix carefully uses Mage Hand to slip the empty bag of holding over the egg and the light vanishes. There is an implosion as the pocket dimension inside the egg that contains all the souls that have died in the region in the last 2000 years is twisted inside out by the pocket dimension in the back of holding. A planar rift is torn open and the entire contents of the egg is spilled out across the furthest reaches of the astral plane. Ix, and most of the nest is also drawn in and scattered around the astral plane. The dragon uses a second Legendary save to avoid being sucked in too.
The dragon roars and launches itself into the air headed for Nagwen on the first roc. Although the dragon is terrifying, everyone manages to stand their ground.
Serma leaps from the second roc onto the dragon, landing with her giant axe embedded deep into the dragon’s shoulder. Nagwen puts away the command items and draws his bow, summoning drake and resistance to cold. Julius predicts some healing will be needed and readies mass healing.
The dragon heads directly towards Nagwen and breathes a storm of ice that smashes the two rocs and the heroes on them. Teren is unconscious! Julius immediately calls upon Kelemvor and the party is healed a little. Teren is awake again!
The Frost giant guides the second roc with 3 remaining heroes on it under the dragon and lands where Ix was. There’s a 30 foot space where the nest was. Julius and Teren see no trace of Ix. Valrick sees a shadow, but it is nothing. Julius heals the group.
Ix is floating in the Astral plane and casts Sending to request Satrogur planeshift to him and bring him back. The message makes it and Satrogur will be there soon!
Serma is seated on the ridge of the dragon’s back and is smashing the giant axe into the same shoulder wound, digging deeper and deeper as blue blood begins to gush from the wound.
A voice from under the temple rubble calls up for help. It is Sister Euberi! She has been using the power of her god Aster to protect herself from the cold, but suddenly her connection to her god has disappeared! Teren slips down through the rubble to get to her and help guide her back up. She makes it almost to the top but gets stuck. Julius assists Valrick in shifting some bricks to free her. She sees the dragon and is terrified.
The dragon starts to chase Nagwen, but realises it can’t fly as fast as the roc, and so it plummets back to where its egg was to attack the 3 heroes (and Sister Euberi). It uses a gust of wind from its wings to knock them all to the ground.
Serma continues to hack the dragon’s shoulder, and the dragon hits Serma with its tail.
Nagwen wheels the roc around and starts peppering it with arrows.
Valrick uses a diamond in the helm of brilliance but a ray of cold shoots out, doing nothing.
Teren darts out from hiding, drawing the silver Githyanki sword and plunging it deep into the dragon’s chest then rolls away. Julius Banishes it, but it uses its last Legendary save!
Satrogur appears next to Ix, and Ix says “Shift us back to the cloud castle now!”
Nagwen fires more arrows then sends their drake down to use its acid breath weapon.
Julius casts banishment a second time, and this time the dragon fails its saving throw!.
Ix appears alongside Satrogur on the cloud castle overlooking the temple ruins. “Where’s the dragon?” he shouts.
Serma has fallen to the ground on the ruins and is still in a rage. The giant axe (berserker) compels her to keep killing. Sister Euberi is the closest, and is killed by two axe blows. Julius casts Command “Serma, run away!” which gives them 2 rounds for Ix to get closer and cast Levitation on Serma (Valrick’s foresight gives a resist roll of 9!), giving Julius a chance to heal Sister Euberi, who flees down the mountain path. The team have a few rounds before the dragon is back, so Julius casts Guardian of faith, Ix casts twinned haste, and everyone readies actions.
The dragon appears, and the Guardian blasts it with radiant light. Ix casts an empowered fireball, and then another and the dragon is finished off. Serma is still berserking, and the party pacifies her the hard way. Finally, Julius heals as much as he can, and the party heads down to the castle in the town below. Serma drags the head of the gigantic dragon behind her. (There’s a slow-motion cut, where Ix casts a fireball in the background.)
The castle is half destroyed, and many in the town are dead, though most have fled. King Agrilus is overjoyed that his sister is alive. The Prince (new King) of Dactris was found hiding in the dungeons of the castle. The party demands a diamond from the treasury to resurrect the dead King of Dactris (whose body had been preserved). (It is now canon that resurrection does not actually consume the diamond, it’s a well-kept secret amongst the clergy who profit from this secret.)
Satrogur is sent to bring the Dwarven King under the Mountain, and a great meeting is held.
Ix has a treaty drawn up and forces everyone to sign it. Agrilus, the King and Prince of Dactris, the Dwarven King, and even the cloud giant Goruthan.
With white-hot anger, he chastises them all for their past behaviours and makes it very clear that there will be no further fighting between them. The dwarves will help the town rebuild, and they will be paid well. They will not be discriminated against. The humans may farm the valley but not venture into the mountains. The giants will stay in the mountains far to the south. Goruthan remains sworn to the service of the party but retains control of his castle, which the party may use from time to time.
King Agrilus does meekly ask about the Rod of Command, but Ix makes it very clear that neither Rod nor Crown will be returned to either king, and that with the marriage of the Prince and Princess, the Kingdoms will now be united. The disappearance of the orb and the presence of Aster mean that the religion will quickly disappear into obscurity.
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