Adventurers' Guild Headquarters IC

[Bonecrusher Doc]

The dragon looks a bit disappointed when Balthazar faints. Zan jumps in to stand between the dragon and Balthazar's body, gripping his scythe desperately to shield his comrade, but already the dragon's attention is elsewhere.

The last remaining men and goblins of the Master realize that they are now leaderless, and that quite a few angry Adventurers are headed straight for them. They drop their weapons and run for the stairway behind the fallen gong-ringer. They leave behind Verona, sprawled on the ground with her belly torn open by a sharp hook. The Doge shrieks at them to come back and take up arms, but they pay him no attention. Then Marko's crossbow bolt thuds into the ground at the Doge's feet. It causes the Doge no injury, but the flight of the bolt has caught the dragon's quick eye. The dragon leaps again, landing next to the Doge. The man stands frozen in fear, and the dragon reaches out, slipping one claw under the heavy gold-and-gemstone chains of office around the man's neck.

Dragon (in Draconic)
"A nice trinket for my collection..."

Meanwhile, Matthew has made up his mind, after sensing great magical power coming from the dark lava tunnel. He grabs hold of the cage nearest the lava flow.
Matthew
"Victor, help me push it in!"

Victor is not sure what Matthew is planning, but he has come to trust his teammate's sharp mind. The slender half-elf hastens to help his fellow guild-member. Together they push the cage into the lava, where it floats. Victor jumps back as Matthew wades into the sulfurous flames, protected by the scroll given to him by Maghlemuel. Matthew jumps onto the side of the cage/raft, holding onto the iron bars, riding it into the oblivion ahead...

to be continued...

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Zan sees Balthazar beginning to revive and quickly runs over to Klesha. He is too late. The cruel twist of her sister's dagger inflicted so grievous a wound that the already fair-skinned woman is now completely white and cold, her life's blood soaking into the mesa around her.

Victor stares for a short moment as Matthew disappears into the darkness of the tunnel, then heads for the stairs.

Berwin turns from the main group of adventurers and sprints to where Iva sacrificed her life. He kneels and hurriedly takes his holy symbol from his neck. He manipulates a little catch, and small locket door opens in the holy symbol. He reverently obtains a few small pinches of ash from Iva's smoldering skeleton, muttering under his breath, then snaps shot the locket and puts his holy symbol back around his neck.

Marko takes advantage the doge's stationary position (frozen in fear of the dragon) to take careful aim with his crossbow. His bolt still misses, but it passes right in front of the doge's face. The doge jumps back, his jeweled necklace slipping off the dragon's claw.

DRAGON (in Draconic, to the Doge)
"You miserable maggot!"

The Doge falls to his knees, stammering, flinging the chains of state at the dragon's feet, but the dragon pays no attention to jewels. In a few short seconds, Doge Aloysious' reign is brought to a sudden and bloody end. The large group of adventurers stop short in their charge before they get too close to the dragon. Sharn bows his head slightly and makes a religious sign with one hand.

Sharn
"Thus passes Argos the Weaver."

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Matthew is suddenly disoriented as the darkness closes around him and the floating cage he clings to on the stream of lava. He can feel a tingling as the magic of the protection from fire spell wars with blazing heat around him.

As his eyes adjust, he sees that the stream of lava continues ahead of him for further than it should, considering the size of the mesa that he thought he was traveling under. Not the only bizarre thing I've seen lately.

Matthew then sees some hideous creatures emerging from what he has determined must be supernatural darkness on the banks of the lava flow. They are roughly humanoid, but their skin looks like lava rock. He has no idea of their size until he comes up right next to them, as there is nothing nearby to which he can compare them. They look about the size of an ogre, and when they spot Matthew, they gesticulate wildly and speak in a tongue unknown to Matthew. Matthew nervously makes his way to the side of the cage opposite them. One of them shouts a couple phrases at him that he doesn't understand, then in Common:

Monster
"I thought we were getting kobolds this time! Your world is covered with humans already!"

Matthew has no idea what they are talking about, but as the monsters step toward his raft threateningly, he decides to keep things conversational, and blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind.

Matthew
"Uh... there's a dragon... right out there..." (Matthew gestures to the darkness ahead of him)

Monster (as Matthew floats by)
"A dragon? A real one? Alive?"

Matthew
"Um, yeah. A red one."

The creatures speak quickly to each other again, then run back into the darkness. Matthew blinks, bewildered, as he continues to float along, then suddenly he feels disoriented again. He shakes his head and looks around, and sees that his raft is now emerging from the tunnel on the far side of the mesa. Then he notices that his protection from fire is rapidly fading and things are getting very hot. With a yelp, he jumps ashore, finding himself lying prone amidst the gruesome remains of Argos.

Matthew looks up and despairs as he sees the dragon looming over him.
Dragon (in Common, first to Matthew but then looking up at the other adventurers nearby, with a mocking sarcasm)
"I didn't think killing you - killing all of you - would be this easy! Why don't you try to run, maggots?"

For half a second, the cavern is silent, save for the skittering footsteps of the last of the Doge's men fleeing up the far staircase. Dravick's thoughts race furiously.
We can't beat this thing! Even with a bad leg, it's too strong, too tough, too fast for us novices. Wait - it doesn't know we're a bunch of greenhorns...

Dravick jumps up on a boulder, hands on his hips, and uses trick he ever learned in his bard training as he tosses his head back and crows his loudest, most resonant laugh, even more mocking than the dragon's sarcasm.
Dravick
"OH-HO! Just who do you think you're dealing with here, you mangy gimp! We are the Ancient and Mighty Honor Guard of Zarif! Adventurers, ATTACK!"

A mighty roar goes up from the throats of every adventurer, even Matthew in his desperation, and all manner of projectiles start flying at the dragon, and a line of Matthew's comrades charge across the bridge toward the dragon, brandishing their weapons with the look of madmen (and madwomen!) in their eyes...

Spoiler

Show

rolls for Bluff and Aid Another and Sense Motive, with Situational Modifiers, in OOC thread

to be continued...

[Bonecrusher Doc]

The dragon hesitates, and rather than devouring Matthew and proceeding to fight the rest of the adventurers there, he springs back up to higher ground on the mesa, which all the adventurers have now fled.
As the dragon lands, a deep rumble echoes through the cavern followed by something like the sound of shattering glass. A crack suddenly splits the mesa, and the dragon's hind legs are pulled downward into the crevice. The dragon thrashes violently, and rocks fly everywhere. Without waiting to see if it gets free, the adventurers head start their flight... though Shiela scoops up the Doge's Chains of State, Althea scoops up Matthew, and Ulysses scoops up Verona's small, still-bleeding body.

Durx (to the Doge's men, fleeing past him and Marko to the exit)
"One a' time na', one a' time, we'll deal with y'uns later..."

The adventurers race up the stairs as the dragon is pulled down deeper into the collapse of the mesa and lava starts to overflow the stream to cover the cavern floor with fire. The dragon beats with its wings futilely, roaring and snapping. Marko and Durx wait until everyone gets out to the surface of the mountain before taking one last look into the cavern - now full of smoke and lit by red flame and strange flashes of purple light. They flee through the tunnel amidst the shrieking sound of igneous rock shearing against itself, and join the others outside.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

The adventurers rally together on the trail that leads down the mountain.
Ulysses
"Cleric!"
The clerics tend to the wounded. Verona's wound closes neatly and color returns to her face as her eyes open. Some faces start to show expressions of sympathy until Matthew reminds them of her hideous crime.
Matthew
"Alright, quick, bind her hands and let's get out of here."
Durx
"That last lot o' pikers 'as beat feet a'ready."
Zan
"And so should we!"

At that, a tremor shakes the mountain and the adventurers hurriedly descend the trail.
Marko
"Shouldn't there be some eagles or something <pant, pant> to fly us to safety now?
Althea
"Do you mean owls? <pant, pant> I think they're busy somewhere else. There's still goblin armies in the cities besides Bridgeport, remember. <pant, pant> Why would there be eagles?
Marko
"I don't know, <pant, pant> it just seems like there should be eagles when a mountain is collapsing! <pant, pant>

[Bonecrusher Doc]

As the adventurers reach the foot of the mountain, there is a mighty crash, and they see that the already deformed peak of the mountain has collapsed further, with a shower of purple sparks visible in the dim pre-dawn sky. Only a few rocks tumble down the slope; the mass of the mountain from the tunnel entrance upward seeming having imploded into the earth.

Jeff is the first to speak.
Jeff (mumbling, mostly to himself)
"Better start southwest. Probably some conies in that meadow."

The Adventurers Guild starts their long, dangerous trek back to Bridgeport.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Days later, Jeff leads the adventurers safely back into Bridgeport, without catching sight of any goblins. The group is weary and hungry but relieved. As the band walks into the City proper, they are accosted by several mounted City Guardsmen. The Guards wear the traditional Bridgeport livery of blue and grey that the adventurers remember, but there is one change: every guard's cloak is trimmed with gold-dyed cloth.

Once the adventurers identify themselves, the guards inform them that the new doge wishes to speak with them without delay.
Balthazar
"If it's alright with you, we'd much rather go to our guildhall first."
Guard
"The doge is actually waiting for you there."

The guards turn and lead the way, and the adventurers are too tired to inquire further. One guard rides ahead, and when the group arrives they find the guildhall has scaffold towers at each corner of the wrought-iron fence with City Guards on each of them. Coming out to meet them are Bruce, Eldon, and Jerris (the wizard rescued from the anti-magic pit in the ancient tower of the ruined palace). Bruce wears a heavy silver chain around his neck.

Bruce
"Praise the gods, you're back! We have a lot to tell each other. But first, Jerris would like to introduce you to someone."

Jerris
"Years ago, I cast a spell on a young girl to protect her from her own magic and from those who would harm her. Now the girl is mature enough to control her powers, and the new City Guard is pledged to protect her as they do Doge Bruce."

Bruce nods to the guards at the front doors of the guildhall. The double doors swing open, revealing a beautiful woman with captivating green eyes and dark brown hair done up with a golden cord. She wears a shimmering green silk tunic-dress, and as her mouth makes a pretty little smile her identity is unmistakeable. Ana's voice is a sweet, soft soprano.

Ana
"Welcome home, my friends."

She gives Zan a wink.

END PART ONE