Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
View
Sat 6th Apr 2024 01:12

Through the Woods, and into the Air, to Blathokus’ House We Go!

by Tristan el'Mer

As we approached the town of Parnast on the way to find Skyreach Castle it became fairly apparent that we would need additional directions. A low hanging fog blocked our line of sight to wherever the castle might be. Perhaps we could convince the cultists in the town we are part of the cult with better results than our previous attempts.
 
Alas, ‘twas not to be. The leader of the cult in Parnast, whom most simply called Captain, was immediately suspicious. We were able to dispatch him and his underlings along with a truly terrifying monstrosity of a statue of Severin (The highest ranking leader of the Cult of the Dragon that we were aware of at the time). The animated statue was incredibly powerful, but we had the good fortune to be a fair distance from it when it animated, and were able to whittle it down before it posed a true threat to us.
 
Right about this time the Castle became visible to us – but only because it was flying away! A true local to the town that also hated the cult’s presence there quietly offered aid in the form of advice: The wyverns that were in the stables were trained to take riders to and from the castle when it was airborne. Nuri was ecstatic about this idea. While the idea of flying sounds marvelous, the idea of doing on the back of a potentially hostile creature was not. Moreso even since Conrad was really the only one among us that had any real experience in handling beasts. At the end of the day though we were going to need at least 2 of these to fit us all. There was a 3rd wyvern saddled and ready, and not wanting anyone to use it to follow us, I decided to brave the risks and ride the 3rd solo. Miraculously we all managed to get enough control of our new mounts without being bucked, clawed, or bitten. Off we went.
 
Yes, flying in this manner was exhilarating. Yes, it was frightful when you looked down. And, yes, it was mortifying when we realized we were going to have to engage in an aerial battle with experienced wyvern riders approaching us from the castle!
 
This fight was tricky, and unlike anything any of us had ever done before. Controlling the wyverns was of course the most difficult task. All was going quite well until Nuri’s wyvern took a nasty hit and began flailing about like a earth worm that just had salt poured on it. Virgil managed to keep his seat in the saddle, but Nuri began to fall. At this time I was a fair distance away, and mostly to one side at that – getting my mount close enough to the falling sorceress would be extremely tricky, and would risk me getting bucked. I did not see exactly how it happened, or who went where, but before it was all over all four of my companions were on one wyvern! Once the last of the cultists had been either killed or knocked off their mounts (with the end of result of them dying some hundreds or thousands of feet below us), we managed to make a safe landing in the wyvern holding area of the castle.
 
My mind races, my adrenaline still rushing, we are here. The answers to my runes are somewhere here. It’s just a matter of time now. And surviving long enough to find out. And then surviving long enough to make use of the knowledge. Aside from giants, dragons, red wizards, and a vampire what could possibly go wrong?

Continue reading...

  1. Goblins and Wargs and Minotaurs, oh my!
    16th of Flamerule, 1486
  2. To Greenest
    17th of Flamerule, 1486
  3. Greenest is the Blackest
    18th of Flamerule, 1486
  4. On dragons, monks, and shite
    19th of Flamerule
  5. Ethereal Me
    20th of Flamerule
  6. Revelations
    21st of Flamerule
  7. The Cave of Triumph and Terror
    22nd of Flamerule
  8. Liches Give Stitches, and other Horrors of the Dark
    22 of Flamerule
  9. The Long Road Ahead: Part I
  10. The Long Road Ahead: Part II
  11. The Long Road Ahead: Part III
    Midsummer
  12. Sleeping on Splinters
    Mid Uktar
  13. The Convergence of the Bizarre and Unlikely
  14. Castle Capers: Part I
  15. Castle Capers Part II
  16. Castle Capers Part III: Shadows of Darkest Light
  17. Castle Capers Part IV: Visions of the Past & Hints of the Future
  18. Mountain Dream Houses and How to clear out the vermin you find when you arrive:
  19. Through the Woods, and into the Air, to Blathokus’ House We Go!
  20. Castle in the Sky, I Can Fly Twice as High
  21. The Ice is on Fire
  22. The City of Splendors
  23. The Journal Entry’s title
  24. City of Splinters
  25. Faces, Masks, and Catnip
  26. Doppler DupliCity
  27. Amorphisms
  28. High in the Skies and Deep in the Ground
  29. Aberrations and Apparitions?
  30. Of Temples, Tombs, and Secrets
  31. The Journal Entry’s title
  32. Whispered Revelations
  33. Varam the Whipped
  34. The End of Many Ages
  35. Fridgid Waters, Fidgety Gnome
  36. Into the Lion’s Den, ehrm.. Dragon’s Den
  37. Severin’ the Snake’s Head
  38. Ghosts, Ghouls, & things that go bump in the night
  39. Black & White; Green & Grey
  40. Ancient Future
  41. Pig’s Pearls
  42. Jade Herrings, Elven boots, Hidden Ruins, Concealed Silver
  43. Scale Broken

Find your way!

Resources

WHO WE ARE

LEGAL

Get the news

Listen to our Podcast

Our Allies

Dungeon Fog
Gold Ennie 2019 for Best Digital Aid
by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.045 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 00:50, Jun 3 2025