[IC] The Red Hand of Doom in Eberron

[Saskia]

Roger tosses Ozzyrandian's head to the ground in front of the priestess. With a wave of his hand and an unintelligible word, the head of the dragon morphs into the head of a green dragonspawn, a bit larger than the likes which he and his compatriots had fought previously.

"It would take more than a handful of mortal soldiers like us to kill real dragons. These creatures were transformed by Azarr Kul and his generals to appear as gods to fool you with powerful transmutations." He shakes his head and continues. "It'll turn back; I can only suppress the effect for so long. The Red Hand has used you, and now you've thrown away the lives of your friends by trying to kill the ones who came to deliver you. Help us to get into the lair of the imposter dragon so we can drive out the Hand and bring peace back to your lands, and ours, and I swear to you, by the breath of Eberron, you'll never have to see us again."

Spoiler

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Casting minor image to make the area around the head appear to change into the head of a green dragonspawn instead of a green dragon, and using false theurgy to make it appear that he cast arcane turmoil instead to dispel an active magical effect, instead of using an illusion to create one. And naturally, it's a really powerful effect that can't just be dispelled normally,

Diplomacy (1d20+20)[36], I don't think we ever actually attempted to speak common with them to see if they understand it.

Also in case they understand common and one of them catches a whiff of bull****, bluff (1d20+14)[22] I guess?

[hoverfrog]

Wilhelmina d'Lyrandar

Mina hadn't wanted any of the lizard folk dead but they did insist on trying to raise the alarm and fight and that couldn't be allowed. Drawing a wand, one that she'd made months before and seldom had much of a reason to use to approaches the dazed priestess and uttered the command word, "Mellon." "My friend, can you understand me?"

Spoiler: Tabletop

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Cast charm person from my wand on the priestess

[TheFallenOne]

Lavender can't help but stare at Roger's display. Such a brazen lie, but for all she knows this is the way to get through their unquestioning reverence. Instead of denying the divinity of dragons play along and twist it in a desirable way. Not all too dissimilar to what she had tried, painting the dragons of the Red Hand as servants of a lesser creature, much different from the true dragons dwelling in far-away Argonessen. She decides to play along for now, supplying translation where the priestess's grasp of the common tongue proves insufficient.

[Malimar]

After the battle, Scott huffs and puffs, recovering his breath. And he frowns, disappointed that it had to come to such senseless slaughter. He frowns slightly less at Roger's lie -- lies are never exactly good, he doesn't think, but can be necessary sometimes, so let's see where this one takes us. He attentively watches the priestess and her companion.

[RaggedAngel]

The lizardfolk priestess is feeling pretty damn defeated, and Roger's display is confusing to her, even if she isn't fully convinced. She catches that Mina has cast a spell, but she doesn't resist the Charm Person; and now Mina doesn't seem quite as bad as the rest of the group.

The priestess crawls forward a little, speaking low to Mina. <"I... I do not know what is true. But you will find the truth in the ancient flooded city, Rhest. In the center of the lake. There are two buildings to care about. The stone tower, and the large building in the center of the town. All else is treacherous, especially for one such as you. The water is shallow, but dark and filled with roots and the debris of the old city. Much of the old city was made of wood, and we do not enter those buildings; they have rotted through, and are liable to collapse on foolish explorers.">

She adjusts her position to look Mina in the eyes. <"The great dragon Regiarix makes his nest in the center, with razorfiends, hobgoblins, a two-headed giant, and a strange goblin with a large eagle. The last goblin is formidable, and killed several of our number when the group arrived. They have the ear of Regiarix, despite not being of the scaleykind. Regiarix even consents to allow the goblin to ride him. They leave for hours at a time, hunting, once every day.">

She looks to shore of the lake. <"When we have cause to go to the sunken city, we take the reed rafts."> She stops there, unsure if she's told her new friend enough to make her happy.

Spoiler: OOC

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Okay, for real this time.

[hoverfrog]

Wilhelmina d'Lyrandar

As Lavender has been translating the lizardfolk's words there's little reason to communicate what she's learned to the others, "That does sound like a challenge. I'd think that the best time to attack would be when the dragon isn't there." "Would you thank my new friend, Lavender? Tell her how much her help means to me."

[RaggedAngel]

Lavender (presumably) thanks the lizardfolk priestess for Mina. The priestess doesn't seem to really trust Lavender, but her new friend seems to accept the half-elf, so the priestess doesn't raise a fuss.

The party has soundly beaten these lizardfolk, and has a decent view of the half-sunken city from this group of huts. They can wait and observe the town, or they can attempt to move in.

Above, the sky darkens, seeming to threaten a summer thunderstorm.

[TheFallenOne]

"Try ar-kogaan if you want to thank her" Lavender instructs. Hearing it directly from her magical friend should have a better effect she reasons. "Emphasis on the second syllable. Usually it's the first with Draconic but 'ar' is just a prefix to express possession of something immaterial. Kogaan also has some divine connotations, basically expressing joy about a received blessing."

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Sorry that should have come before but my plans were ruined when it turned out the vocabulary chart in Draconomicon didn't contain anything like gratitude, so I cheated a bit and instead found kogaan in the dragon language of Skyrim. Though I feel the blessing part found there is a nice bonus, I think it fits.

[hoverfrog]

Wilhelmina d'Lyrandar

"Thank you, Lavender" Mina smiles at the other khorovar before looking back at the priestess and smoothing her features to seriousness, "Ar-kogaan, priestess." "Now, what are we to do next? Take the boats I'd suggest although we might want to wait for first light or when we know their leader is absent."

[King Tius]

Wrex nods in agreement with Mina. "Either we attack when the dragon is out, or follow the dragon and catch it without its minions to support it. We should lie in wait until the dragon departs so we can see if it is truly great."

[TheFallenOne]

"I think attacking Rhest while the dragon is on patrol is the better option. One, we have too few options to force a flying foe to engage in close combat. Two, dragons are prideful creatures" Lavender explains. Kill his minions and take control of his hoard that is bound to be there and he will come to fight us. The close quarters of a ruined city should prove a better staging ground than open terrain where he can just keep strafing us with his acid breath. Yeah, acid again, not that fire or cold would be any better. Or electricity for that matter for anyone excluding me." Her hands unconsciously brush over her lower arms, where Ozyrrandion's breath had eaten through her skin and flesh. It might even have gone down to the bone, she never had time to properly assess the damage, expending all her healing reserve in an instant before the next hit would turn her into sludge.

Spoiler

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Knowledge Nature to identify the twoheaded giant as an Ettin(or alternatively a Warcraft ogre, wouldn't that be neat) (1d20+11)[23]

[RaggedAngel]

The party finds a spot in the marsh where they can observe the buildings in the center of the half-sunken city, and they settle in to lie in wait. Hours pass, the sun first growing large in the sky, then becoming overcast with clouds, then a gentle summer rain begins to fall. The marsh is incredibly humid and buggy, but the cool rains give you a respite from the constant heat of the past few weeks.

Finally, it happens; a dark winged shape that could only be Regiarix rises up from the center of the city. The black dragon's back looks malformed or misshapen from a distance; after a moment's observation, it become clear that the lump is a small rider, cloaked and crouched low against the dragon.

Regiarix wheels around the lake, once, twice, then the pair take off North, away from you and the elven settlements.

[hoverfrog]

Wilhelmina d'Lyrandar

"Shall we?" Mina gets up and bundles her army of crafting homunculi back into her portable hole. She'd had them out gathering up supplies and equipment from the dead and the empty huts while they waited while she checked them for magical emanations. She offers to accompany the priestess around the village and gather up the dead for their funeral rites, whatever they might be. They could allow burial or disposal in the water but not a bonfire that might alert the dragon and its allies to their presence. If the warriors would be buried with their weapons then there was little harm in allowing the priestess to keep them. Such simple tools were of no use in their own war effort. "How far is it? Shall we take the boats and then fly once we get closer?"

[RaggedAngel]

The priestess and one remaining lizardfolk consent to help gathering the bodies, but they insist to be allowed to bury them alone in the marsh, as is their tradition. The pair convey that they will go join another village, and that they will warn the rest of the lizardfolk of your ferocity and power.

It's about a thousand feet of open water between the edge of the lake and the first of the rotting wooden buildings that make up the bulk of the ruins of Rhest. From there it's roughly another thousand to the two central stone buildings; the old bell tower and the old town hall. The water is shallow and calm but murky and clearly choked with all manner of debris and detritus.

The boats each hold about six medium-sized individuals, and move at about walking speed over water (depend on how many people are paddling). The light rain makes it harder to discern details from a distance, making it more likely that a hooded party could pass as a group of lizardfolk... unless a sentry had an especially keen or suspicious eye.

[King Tius]

"We will slay that dragon before we have a chance to rest, so save your spells. The boats will suffice in this weather. I will row, but perhaps I should be more visible as a decoy."

OOC: Have any of the hobgoblins we've fought previously worn any obvious Red Hand paraphernalia? Tabards? Ornamentation on the armor?

[RaggedAngel]

The Red Hand have carried various insignia and markings; the first group you encountered even had banners on their spears with the bloody red hand of the group emblazoned across them. Aside from that, Wrex recalls that breastplates and helmets have frequently been marked.

As for more specific icons or badges of rank, it's hard to recall.

[TheFallenOne]

"I don't think we should spend Flight spells just to sneak in, those will be more important later on. Perhaps you could try an Invisibility Sphere again? I also have some scrolls that would let us swim, that would give us good cover though I don't expect it to be altogether pleasant." With the prospect of facing another dragon later on Lavender silently calculates how much of her spell allotment she can afford to spend in the upcoming fight. They might face a considerable force in the ruined city but at the very least she has to keep both her Thunderclaps in reserve, no matter how excellent they might be at disrupting a numerically larger concentration of force.

"I'll have my Familiar stay back as a lookout. We can sense each other's emotions from a mile out and I expect a big bad dragon approaching should cause a great deal of worry."

Spoiler

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My sheet isn't loading right now, think I already have two scrolls and I can make another one while we wait for Reg to leave the nest. I talked about making a scroll per day of various spells as we travel, but that was back in July and I kinda lost track of how much ingame time passed since then.

[Crinias]

Isaac shakes his head at Lavender. "Once, I saw a mage try to escape a group of people trying to kill him by using Invisibility, after he'd jumped into a river. Had it been anywhere else, he would have gotten away, but the spell made it seem like there was a man-shaped hole of air in the middle of the water. He didn't get far."

He looks over into the distance. "Even if the Sphere can hide us and our boat together, it won't hide the empty space that the boat would take up, or the water vibrations that would be made as we rowed our way there. Well, maybe if it was in the middle of the night..."

Isaac drifts off. "I'd go with Wrex's idea."

[King Tius]

Wrex nods and moves towards the boats. "Use your magics to appear as my kin again. We should acquire some Red Hand regalia if we are going to keep impersonating them. Can your magic handle that, too? I'll sit in the bow and try to buy us time to approach closer."

[hoverfrog]

Wilhelmina d'Lyrandar

Mina scribbles down a note in her journal, "Hats of disguise and a wand of invisibility, I wish I'd made these already." "Oh, hat of disguise is already on my list. I take it that Lavender and I are prisoners."

[King Tius]

Wrex nods to Mina as he shifts a boat into a more launchable position. "Gagged with hands bound behind your backs to stop you spellcasting. Make sure your ears are visible so we can claim you as elf prisoners. You should appear wounded, or at least disheveled. Scott and Isaac, pull up your cloaks and hunch over. The Red Hand would make the lizardfolk row for them."

[hoverfrog]

Wilhelmina d'Lyrandar

"Go easy on the sweeps, gentlemen, your pushing a boat through water, not wrestling her to the ground," Mina had some definite opinions on the sailing abilities of her current crew mates. "Maybe I should row and...no, you carry on, it's fine." She starts to muss up her hair and applies a little grease to her cheek and forehead. There was always grease on a boat if you knew where to look. Without a word her homunculus leaps off the bow and takes to the air, "A bit of warning if they look like they're about to attack. Stay hidden, little one."

[RaggedAngel]

The party disguises themselves as best they can, and pack onto one lake-boat. It's a bit of a tight fit, but they all manage to load onto it without sinking it.

Then they begin to paddle out to the with the Wrex sitting at the front of the little lake-boat, his cloak covering his lack of Red Hand themed armor. The light rain does a good job covering up for Isaac and Roger, and the boat makes it across the main body of the lake without incident.

As you approach the ancient city, you see that most of the buildings were made of wood, and they're now slowly rotting away into the mire. There is movement amongst the rotting planks of fallen boardwalks and the collapses structures, though the same rain makes it hard to make out any specifics.

Spoiler: OOC

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Gimme some spot checks, plus any other sensory spells you might use to keep an eye out for trouble. You can roll them here, OOC, or Rolls thread, I don't mind either way.

[Malimar]

Scott, nodding beardily, goes along with the plan! He hunches under his cloak, perhaps that'll disguise how he's somewhat stouter and more heavily armored than one would expect a hobgoblin or lizardfolk to be, but keeps an eye out for trouble!

Spoiler: Rolls

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Spot (1d20+4)[24]

Spoiler: Statblock

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Scott Beardsley
M NG Dwarf Cleric 5/Sovereign Speaker 2, Level 7, Init -1, HP 46/46, Speed 30 ft
AC 21, Touch 10, Flat-footed 21, Fort 8, Ref 2, Will 11, Base Attack Bonus 5.25, Action Points 7
+1 Morningstar +6 (1d8+1, 20/x2)
Light Crossbow +4 (1d8, 19-20/x2)
+1 Full Plate, Heavy Steel Shield (+9 Armor, +2 Shield, -1 Dex)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 19, Cha 13
Condition Between the battle, the interrogation, and the boat ride, Divine Protection's 6 minutes has almost certainly worn off by now

[King Tius]

Wrex stands prominently at the bow, doing his best version of Washington Crossing the Delaware that he can. He'll keep an eye out for another hobgoblin to bark orders at, but will otherwise try to play it cool.

spot: (1d20)[11]

[hoverfrog]

Wilhelmina d'Lyrandar

"That's a rather arrogant pose, Wrex," Mina declares as she looks around, "No, don't change it. It's perfect for what we're doing."

Spoiler: Spot checks

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Spot checks
Mina: (1d20+1)[14]
Scroll Bearer: (1d20+4)[5]