Episode 33 - Hidden in the Mist

The party continues their deadly investigation of Dr. William Birkin's underground laboratory. After stepping into and burning the Apostate Kenku enclosure, the party locates the body of a fallen scientist. The scientist has a note on his person concerning the studied attributes of the twisted kenku, and one of the four key cards. The crew then moves onwards to the next enclosure that houses a creature identified as a Warbling Stalagmite. Vaceren's keen eyes pick up movement in the back of the cave and Moxt places a bonfire in the middle of the dark in order to provide the party with an advantage.  Inevitably the party enters the cage and is immediately ambushed by the creatures extensively long appendages, but the warriors are quick to dispatch the defensive creatures.  The party is unable to locate another badge in the room, but they do locate a lab technician with a white coat bearing the emblem of Revenant Saints; the coat has a golden broach with the symbol of The Viscount under the lapel.  Moxt takes the coat and its accoutrement. 
The party continues their search for badges in the next room which houses a petrified forest.  On the ceiling of the enclosure is a large swirling, dark vortex of shadows that engulfs the room every ten seconds or so.  The party locates a note indicating that the creatures can only move when they are not seen and consume the life force of their victims. Klork and Moxt enter the room, moving at breakneck speed, trying to outrun the swirling dark vapors. Thinking quickly, Vaceren casts a force cage over the gas globe, though it actively tries to resist his spell. Klork locates the body of another fallen scientist and his badge.  Klork tries to speed back to the glass door but is stopped by webbing that is cast over the door. Moxt burns the webbing down while Davwyn tries to force the door back open. The party recuperates back in the observatory just as the black smoke breaks free, releasing the Petrified Forest to aggressively attack the glass wall. 
The party ventures to the next room that holds a small creature named the Poison Hydra Grub. Davwyn and Moxt work in tandem to burn through the room while Vaceren casts an illusion of a dancing monkey, distracting several of the grubs away from their target. Protected by his new armor, Davwyn walks inside of Moxt's Flaming Sphere, crushing all the grubs in his path. After recovering their fourth badge, the party locates the final observatory.  This room houses a unique cage that looks like a massive clear cylinder.  Inside this structure was a smaller antechamber with yellow hazmat suits. The enclosure was home to the creature identified as Infected Skin Bats. These bats were apparently infected with a strange fungus which rang very familiar with the party.  They immediately recognized the bats were infected with Arnon's Madness. Moxt uses his invisible mage hand to pull the badge off the now infected scientist walking around the enclosure.  Klork reaches inside the enclosure to grab the badge and is struck by one of the bats which attaches itself to Klorks arm.  Forgetting that he had dawned the yellow hazmat suit, Davwyn releases a fireball inside the 10ft x 10ft antechamber, releasing a massive explosion inside the closed space, affectively killing the Skin Bat and Davwyn's eyebrows. 
Finally, the party could address the massive, locked vault door in the main chamber of the lab. Vaceren reaches into the void once again and speaks with the same entity concerning some of the potential dangers inside the vault. The party inserts all four keys, releasing the locking mechanisms. The door rolls to the side revealing a long hallway leading towards the largest enclosure they have seen yet. Along the way, the party locates Dr. Birkin's personal quarters. Inside his office they locate several large cages with unique creatures. Moxt takes a yellow furry looking caterpillar and Davwyn adopts an arcoon.  Vaceren locates a letter penned by Dr. Birkin describing how his experiments were progressing, a description of the dark gaseous orb now titled "Scabbard," a unique creature titled "1," the potential medical advances through the use of Arnon's Madness, and "Michael's" hopes to release the infected bats on unruly populations. With this damning evidence in hand the party continues towards the large enclosure at the end of the hallway. Inside the enclosure they locate a large crystal with twisting purple vapors; also inside the crystal is a dark silhouette of an owl like creature. The back wall of the enclosure is a solid wall of "Scabbard," holding gods only know what. Recognizing this creature as their loving companion Big Booty Judy, Moxt feels compelled to rescue her from her crystalline prison. As he and Klork enter the room, they hear a familiar voice in their heads begging them to free booty from the stone. Moxt inquires of the voice, identified as Armentarius De'Nocte, if he were to use his hammer if it would break.  DeNoct reassures Moxt that Balador's mighty cudgel would not be damaged.
Given encouragement from DeNoct, and feeling compelled to save his friend, Moxt smashes the stone which releases a huge wave of power, knocking he and Klork back. Klork is instructed to deliver Judy to the wall where she is slowly drawn into Scabbard. Suddenly, the dark wall is reduced and the party sees what is trapped underneath the powerful gases. A large draconic skeleton lies motionless on the floor. Judy is drawn to the maw of the skeleton. A vortex of dark energy is expelled out of her mouth and rises up into the bony mouth of the dragon. His limbs slowly begin to articulate as his head rises up off the ground. Arching his neck towards the skies the creature exclaims, "I am Armentarious DeNocte, I am The Shepherd of the Night, I am Dagrah." Scales immediately begin growing over the dragon's face where there was once just bone. The growth cascades down the dragon's neck and into his shoulders. Needing additional souls to complete his transformation, Dagrah breaks through the ceiling of the lab and into the city above.  Horrified screams ring out but suddenly they fall mute. The dragon pulls himself out of his cell and begins hunting for sustenance.
Vaceren quickly draws a magical circle on the laboratory floor and rapidly transports the party to his room at the Wit's End.  Knowing a Dracolich has been released on the Upper Delta, the exhausted heroes stare at each other, wondering what they will do?