Session 26: The Living Flame

We begin standing next to the statue of Shar. Elias examines the locked box he found to see if he can figure out how to open it. It's some kind of puzzle box. He puts it away for later.
 
We decide to go check the rest of the academy out. Franz leads the way and tells us of his memories here.
 
WE trick a janitor into giving us his mop so Elias can make a new disguise. He fashions it into a beard. We go see the librarian. She's got three cats that turn out to be polymorphed devils???
 
Franz asks for the list of the people who have attended here, and the librarian, Betty, says if we take the devil cats to the banishing circle, she will give us this list.
 
WE go to the bull area. We learn some kids accidentally summoned these devils, and now there is blood on the floor. What the hell kind of school is this?
 
Franz gets a hot date with someone he used to know and went to school with here. However he has no idea what her name is and rolled a one when she tries to remember.
 
We get the devil cats banished.
 
WE get the registrar from the librarian. Elias knows that we are looking for someone who likes to wear all black. It's a he. not to tall. He was wearing ninjaesque clothing so it was really hard to tell what his build was. He had an elf like frame. Pretty lanky.
 
We make a list of them ost powerful spell casters. 2 of them can cast 7th level spells. 2 that can cast 8th level and one that can cast 9. For a total of 5 names. Passin is on the list, and he can cast 9th level spells.
 
We recognize one of the names as the headmaster, Denardo(8th level) Franz's transmutation teacher Priatella is on (7th level) neither of those were elvaan. Hathiel and Center are the other 2 names. the librarian isn't very helpful but tells us one of the names are involved with criminals.
 
Franz gets the name of the girl- Deloris, that he's going on a date with later. We learn tat Priatella was the one who cast polymorph on the devil cats. It was likely not true polymorph.
 
We learn that the kids attacked by the devils are in the infirmary. ONe of them may have a true name of the devil
 
We track down Priatella. she's giving a speech to her class about the importance of not summoning devils. No matter how reliable your magic is, you should keep wands around. She seems to have 3 wands of polymorph. We sit in for the rest of her class.
 
Franz catches up with her. She calls out Elias for his "costume" and he tries to convince her this is what he looks like. He tries to impress her with his magic and insults her since she's being so rude.
 
She casts his "beard" on fire with a cantrip and he puts it out with shape water. HE then casts gust to blow her hat off, and she casts gust to put it back.
 
Franz tells her that we had a runin with some vampires that murdered his parents when he was young. We were saved by a cloaked person who casted "Reverse Gravity" and he hopes she can help us figure out who it is.
 
We show her the names Center, and Hathiel. both were her students. Center was always in trouble. She hangs out with Emelia now. Hathiel was a dragon borne. He's very intelligent but low wisdom. Hathiel could make fire with his breath. Center was an elf, and he would always pick fights with other elves, as if he hated his own kind. He never really fit in.
 
Elias and Priatella kind of get into it, because he's "not a wizard" She uses Time Stop to remove all of his costume. They kind of insult each other, and tells him if he ever wants to REALLY learn magic to come back and see her.
 
As we walk away, she says that Elias reminds him of Passin, and she sees a lot of potential in him.
 
we leave and end up at a gentlemans club looking for Dawels.
 
the madame gets charmed by Franz. She tells us that Dawels is somewhere up stairs with Scarlett.
 
WE meet some girl with red hair who seems to know about Dawels. While Ashe chats her up Elias finds Dawles in another room. Ashe offers to go out for a night on the town with this girl at 8pm.
 
We ask Dawels if he could help us get a meeting with Emelia. He informs us he isn't friends with her. We ask if he knows of another way to get in touch with her. He tells us that Captain Blackwood ALWAYS knows where she is, maybe she could help us. He knows where she is right now. He tells us to go to the Shadowthorne Infirmary. He won't tell us why she is there, but he says when we go there, there is a certain individual named Allister that he wants us to give a message too. Tell him "He's Next"
 
Is it our Allister? As in Allister Thorne? as in QM? Apparently Allister stuck his nose where it doens't belong. DOes this have to do with the red frog things?
 
We head to the infirmary where Center is being operated on. Apparently she has the same injury as QM. It turns out that that Center is a drow. Emilia is there. If they figure out how to remove the parasite for Center then they can save QM.
 
HOwever, Center doesn't survive the surgery. As we are trying to figure out how to help QM, someone comes in. She's been burnt badly. It's the lady who went with Andromeda when he left the city with his Marion. She says there was a dragon there that attacked everyone. she suspects it may have been the gold the dragon was after.
 
Elias and BAel go after Marion and Andromeda. Ashe and Franz stay back with QM.
 
Elias and Bael can tell that everyone was travelling North and wehn traffic redirected, they may have gone East.
 
Elias does a search and does not find his mom's remains so he continues East. They sprint East and catch up with the caravan that has escaped They find out that the dragon that attacked is called The Living Flame. He is now forcing everyone to bring their gold to him and they are complying. The dragon also gathered up the most beautiful women and took Marion, because beautiful women are delicacies. . The dragon flew towards a mountain 24 miles away. They jump on Elias's broom of flying and head out. While flying he spots Andromeda and flies down towards him.
 
They tell Andromeda to go back to town and have reinforcements sent to assist with the dragon. They make it to the mountain and immediately spot where the prisoners of the dragon might be.
 
They go into the cave and see Marion sitting next to the dragon. He is telling her that she will not be eaten yet as she's gonna be a celebratory meal once all the gold has been brought to the laire. (approximately 3 days from now) She is terrified and crying.
 
Bael and Elias secretly laugh about how broke this dragon is right now. Elias starts to pray to Shar and as he prays, the dragon starts to head towards the exit where Elias and Bael are. He can smell them. He unleashes a breath of fire that shoots past them, melting the stone around them. Bael speaks up and mentions the empty space here. Elias tells the dragon he wants to make a deal with him to get his mother back.
 
He tells the dragon to name his price, because he can get anything he wants. Bael also volunteers to help. The Dragon tells them to go escort the caravan and he won't eat his mother. Elias flies up into the sky to head towards the caravan. He also sees a warband of dwarves coming from the North. He makes a plan to try and route the caravan so that the dwarves don't cross paths with them.
 
 
 
Meanwhile, Franz and Ashe are working to try and remove this parasite from QM. An incision is created by Franz, but when he tries to remove it, QM screams and says it's attached everywhere. They try freezing the parasite. This causes to be still, but it is attached still to the heart, lungs and stomach. Ashe turns into a small mouse to try and go in and chew the creature away so we can remove it doing minimal damage. They are successful, but AShe barely makes it out before suffocating, but Franz is able to save her at the last second. WE rest and Ashe casts Lesser REstoration the next morning and QM is going to be find.
 
Blackwood sends 20 men with Andromeda, Franz and Ashe, and they head towards the caravan and we all meet Elias and Bael there. Elias fills us in about the dwarves and this is where we end.