PM

PM

To Shae: It was actually a "mammal" (porpoise), not a fish.  Shae has used all of her transformations for the day (bird, reptile, mammal).

Please note that the dragon is long and serpentine.  Therefore, it can fit through the caverns you just came from.

I did not give a map of the caverns themselves, but here is a replay/synopsis of what you observed coming in since this has taken many months in real time:

You were deposited in a lake with an exit ahead (we will call it "north").


The passage ended in a T.  To the left (west) was a ceiling only 6 feet high at the highest that curved left:



To the right (east) was a tall cavern full of stalactites.  The water continued to the right of the T but not on the passageway to the left of the T.



You heard noises to the right of the T and went in that direction.  It curved and turned into a Y junction (northwest and northeast).

The party followed the left side of the Y fork in the cavern, following the deep water.  The tunnel widened into a round waterfall cavern with an exit to the left:


You found chalk markings on the wall with an arrow pointing to the left to continue down the corridor.  It was a fairly fresh marking.  You found footprints of what you believe were Fingas and Battrus going left.

You went left, where there was solid ground on the left side of the tunnel and water on the right side.  You found a place where there might be an underwater cave:


You decided to explore the underwater cave before continuing down the passage.

You found yourself in a 50' diameter cave of ice with waist deep water:


You saw a dragon encased in the ice wall, but its head had been chopped off.  It looked to be the same type of dragon as Ozymandius, but about half the size.

You followed another passage in that cave to a small cavern that appeared to have been carved out of the ice in a nearly perfect sphere.  You found a chest embedded in ice and a skeletal undead creature in the ice behind it, where there had been an apparent ice cave in.  Shards of barbed ice fell from the ceiling in a type of trap.  The barbs appeared to have some sort of poison that would not allow bleeding to clot, and Borimer was bleeding badly.

You defeated the undead guardian and took the chest.  Inside you found 200 gold coins of an undetermined currency, a sackcloth 2x2 in size that felt unnaturally strong and waxy to the touch, and a gold cup with engravings that translated as:
"cup of water of life"
"pressed lips release its boon"
"fill and hold, sip and see"


The cup has a liquid that cannot be spilled.

Borimer drank from the cup and fell into a trance (at first seeming to be dead), but he received a vision.

You followed the river to a fork (northwest or east).  To the east, it trickled into a rivulet stream and mud.  You saw human boot prints heading east (Fingus and Battrus).

To the northwest (left), the river flowed downhill strongly and deeply.  You could hear a man screaming in pain (who turned out to be the man with the white hair).  Then the gold box began glowing strongly and to pulsate:


You went northwest toward the human scream, and the water turned even a brighter glowing blue as you followed the muddy ground on the left side of the river.

After descending, you entered the current very large cavern, where you discovered the illusory dragon, as well as Ozymandius speaking in your heads in your native languages.  You also discovered (when Shae fell into the water), that the dragon had created illusory ground in front of you.



The heavy flow of the rivers into this area mixed with the bluish glow of the healing waters and drain to the west.  In a stopped up area at the bottom of the water to the west is where the dragon keeps its treasure, and among it are some crystal statues of various humans and demihumans.  Some of them are broken from erosion, but all are actual size.

Ozymandius finally showed himself/herself and proved to be just as insane and murderous as Etag warned.


Borimer found where the dragon has lain for centuries in the crevice above the lake, which is also where he found the berries you need to cure the disease.

With the illusions dispelled and the foggy mist dissipated, you saw the cavern for what it was:



You currently have the white haired man, who is panicking and miniaturized, in custody.

The six remaining gnomes are up the path behind you out of harm's way with Lukas.

And the dragon is about to unleash its breath weapon on you...

Did I miss anything? :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:18, Wed 30 Aug 2017.

PM

FYI, nothing about the layout of the caverns is necessary per se to making it through this.  There is no "clue" or hidden secret that you have to solve.  I don't like to do that to players.  I just like to set the ground for many possible outcomes and plans.

So when you reread the summary, remember that it is just that: a synopsis.  I'm not hiding the ball or suggesting you overlooked anything.  I just want it all fresh in everyone's memory so that you can be creative and not tax your brains too much.

Kahan lifted the box over his head and yelled, "If you want it so badly, come and get it!" He then promptly turned around and ran back through the caverns.

I will assume everyone follows Kahan except for Borimer who is still on the ledge.  (Remember that the gnomes, some elderly or ill, are also with you and are unlikely to be able to outrun a dragon.)

Kahan and the others run back up the stone steps into the large caverns behind.

The dragon lets out its breath, which impacts the wall of force conjured up by Tahldar.  The wall of force blocks the silvery, crystalline spray from the dragon's maw.

The dragon dives into the water to go under the wall of force and follow the retreating members of the party.

Borimer is still at the bush of berries in the niche above the water.

PM

would the berries fit through borimer's wineskin top? he could fill it with the special water and then put the berries inside

Yes, the berries would fit.  They are about the size of blueberries.

Borimer quickly fills the container with berries and enough water to keep them submerged.

Since the dragon is going after Kahan and the group now, please be specific about where you will be going as you backtrack through the caverns (such as "taking the first left" or going back the way we came until we reach ___.)

Keep in mind that you have the gnomes with you, and they are not fast runners, so you need to figure out a way to keep them out of harm's way.

Anyone who does not post will be assumed to be following Kahan's lead.

Kahan wants to go just far enough until he finds a slim corridor, hopefully not too far but far enough that it won't be easy to run back to the water. "Borimer better hurry up..." he mutters.

Every corridor you've been in so far would fit the dragon.  Remember that this dragon is snake-like in appearance.  Snakes can fit into all sorts of small places...

I want him to be able to fit, but not turn around. At least, not easily.

Tahldar contemplates his next course of action.  Taking the brave route he stands his ground and begins to cast.

OOC: Tahldar will stand his ground to try to give his compatriots time to retreat.  (Assuming the dragon will close up and attack him)  He will cast stoneskin on himself on this turn.  Casting time is 1 and it will block 1d4+4 attacks.  I took the liberty to roll and got a total of 6 attacks.

Shae follows Kahan, running as fast as she can.  When they get close to the gnomes, she yells for Vuzyl to take them down the left hall that they haven't explored yet while she and Kahan go straight.

She yells back to Tahldar, "Can you cast something to keep it on this side of the wall once we pass so it can't come back and heal?  Hopefully after everyone who is going to fight it is on this side."

Her ancestral spear is ready, but she is looking for a break to cast a spell. Meanwhile, she follows Kahan.

Shae and Kahan run south back up the tunnel.

Tahldar is casting...

A shimmering glow covers Tahldar just as the dragon reaches him.  Unfortunately, the dragon is more intent on chasing down Kahan.  But it stops just long enough to swipe a claw at Tahldar.  The hit is powerful, slamming Tahldar across and into the wall, where he slumps to the ground on the platform where the old white haired man was found.  But he is unhurt in the attack and rises back to his feet.  (1 attack down.)

The distraction was just enough to allow Kahan and Shae to get farther down the corridor.

Vuzyl and Lukas usher the now shrunken old white haired crazy man and the remaining gnomes into the corridor to the east (to the left as Kahan and Shae are running south), and try to get them to a point of relative safety away from the dragon.

Borimer has put the berries in his waterskin filled with the Earthsilver healing water from the lake below.

Leo has remained hidden and the dragon moves right by without paying him any attention.

Borimer, Leo, and Tahldar remain in the large cavern with the water.  Kahan and Shae have a good headstart on leading the dragon down the southern corridor. It is obviously seeking possession of the glowing golden cube held by Kahan:


Meanwhile, Vuzyl, Lukas, the crazy old man and the gnomes are off in the corridor to the east hiding.


Shae and Kahan reach the curve where the underwater tunnel leads to the beheaded smaller dragon and where the chest and cup were found.  They can dive down there or continue south toward the way you initially came.

It is harder to move quickly here because of the water and mud, but so far the dragon is not within view behind you.

OOC: The water in this chamber isn't the healing water, correct?

Borimer flies back to Tahldar, gives him the wineskin, and gets the direction of the wyrm. He takes off in a sprint and hunts it down...
This message was last edited by the player at 11:12, Fri 13 Oct 2017.

Leo tries to quietly follow the dragon and looks for an opportunity for a surprise attack from behind.

Kahan tosses the cube on the ground in front of himself and casts a spell on himself from the Rod.

Borimer keeps running/flying to hunt this wyrm down. It's here somewhere...how do you hide a big blue flying snake? The warrior keeps hunting...

Kahan sets the cube down, casts magic mirror on himself and steps out of the way.  The dragon comes through the tunnel, mesmerized by the cube, which it lifts in one hand.

Kahan takes this opportunity to retreat back toward the others.

He meets Borimer on the way out, and the two regroup.  Borimer now has all the ingredients needed to fight the disease.

When you regroup near the fork in the road, you start leading the gnomes down the tunnel deeper.  It slopes down, and in some muddy spots, you can see the imprints--fairly fresh--of boots.  Fingas must have come this way.

You make it about 100 yards down the tunnel when you see that the tunnel has caved in.  Luckily, someone (and you can guess it was likely Fingass and Hatt) started unburying the cave in, leading to a small but navigable tunnel escaping this area.

Leo and Shae go first, followed by the remaining gnomes.  Then Tahldar and Kahan squeeze through the opening through the piles of rocks.  Vuzyl goes next, but his clothes catch on an outcropping and he struggles to get them loose--

That is when you hear the screech of the dragon and know that it is approaching from behind you in the cavern.

Vuzyl pulls himself loose and continues through, leaving only Borimer and Lukas on the outside.  Borimer strikes a pose, ready to fight on one side of the cave while Lukas does the same on the other.

That's when you hear the intake of breath--a giant WHOOSH-- and the dragon's breath comes down the corridor.  Unlike most dragon's breath, it does not cone outward but instead comes as a thinly focused spray.  And the breath itself glows like quicksilver into a myriad swirling colors.

The breath strikes Lukas.  It is not acid.  It is not fire.  It is not steam or ice or anything else you might expect.  It hits Lukas, and just as he cries out in pain, his body turns to crystal, frozen like a statue.  Being off center, the Lukas statue, and all that he held, crashes to the pile of rocks and shatters like glass.  All that Lukas was and possessed is now gone.

You remember the other crystal statues at the bottom of the lake and can surmise where they came from.

There is little time to think.  Borimer holds the key to the disease, and he quickly pushes through the small opening to the far side, where the tunnel goes down and deeper...

...and then suddenly, for the first time in days, you see daylight.  You scramble to the mouth of the cave, which expands to an opening 100 feet wide, and breathe fresh air.

Behind you, the dragon lets out a menacing screech, unable to fit through the cracks of the cave in.

Borimer runs to the light...