Session 05
General Summary
The afternoon wore on. Magma Force spent their time battling the demons who fell from the sky
and coordinating the evacuation of the city. Above them the clouds continued to roil and changed
colours from an angry purple to a disgusting green and back. The city shook with the occasional
tremor as the volcano continued to threaten to erupt. The party had fought off demons and fiery
elementals, had saved people from crushing and burning and had even had to deal with a mob of
angry people determined to take their frustrations out on people in authority. But their greatest
challenges of the day lay ahead of them.
In the late afternoon, as the group passed along Ash Avenue close to the crater lake, a great cloud
of steam rose from the lake's waters. The lake was bubbling and boiling by this stage, the volcanic
activity threatening to boil the waters away completely. The cloud of elemental steam, almost with
a mind of its own, drifted to where a thick collection of people thronged. It passed over them and
all that could be heard were their screams. The cloud passed and all that was left were the white
bones of the people - their flesh completely boiled away! As if that wasn't bad enough, rising from
the lake behind this cloud, flesh part stripped away by the boiling waters of the lake, was a
creature of legend. The Morkoth was rising from the lake, and it looked angry.
Magma Force sprang to life, swarming around the cloud of elemental steam and striking out at the
legendary fish like creature (that evidentially had no problems breathing on land). But this
creature was a legend for a reason. Its mind was extremely powerful and it possessed many
psychic abilities - not the least of which was the ability to dominate a create of little will power
and control its actions. Unfortunately for Morgan, Gotrek was such a creature! The Morkoth got
inside the dwarven barbarian's mind and forced him to attack the brave paladin who was trying to
single handedly hold the Morkoth's attention. Add to that the fact that the elemental cloud was
hovering nearby, raising the temperature and threatening to boil Morgan alive in his armour and
he took a battering. But he was made of stern stuff and with the support of Braken was able to
survive the combined threat of the Morkoth, the elemental steam cloud and the dominated
barbarian. Meanwhile Harley and Camero launched ever kind of attack they could muster upon
the legendary fish creature and just before Gotrek was flayed alive by the steam cloud and Morgan
was knocked unconscious the Morkoth was slain. At about this time the elemental cloud
dissipated and of course Gotrek was released from his domination. Magma Force had again
prevailed.
They licked their wounds, healed up and realised they were sorely in need of a proper rest. But
there were still townsfolk out there in need of help and unknown to them, worse was still to come.
As the afternoon became the evening the townsfolk were nearly all evacuated. Magma Force were
escorting the last of them towards the northern gates near the barracks, when a strange dread come
over them. The townsfolk began to panic and swarm everywhere as an unknown fear washed over
the city. Then swooping majestically up over the city walls came a dreadful and yet wonderful
sight. A huge red dragon in flight, followed closely behind by two smaller, yet still large dragons.
Hookface had come to see what was happening in the city and had brought two of his sons, Spark
and Ignatius with him.
The three dragons spotted the heroes standing firm amidst the fleeing populace and singled them
out. They circled and came to land upon the buildings nearby, with Hookface landing down in the
middle of Magma Avenue. He looked at the adventurers and an evil glint came into his eye. He
told them that they matched the description he was given of those who had killed one of his sons,
Gotrodd, and that it was time for revenge. With that he opened his huge toothy maw and breathed
fire on the party. His sons launched from their nearby perches and also breathed over the group.
The cobbles on the streets melted and the hair was singed from the adventurers as dragon fire
raged around them. Suddenly Magma Force faced their most dangerous foe ever and they were
already sorely tired from a day battling demons and the Morkoth.
The fight was bitterly close. The younger dragons used their flight to manuveur themselves into
positions where they could spray the party with their breath. Although nothing like as powerful as
their father's, the constant flames wore the party down and meant that even the elusive Camero
was often in the middle of the battle lines. Hookface was engaged by Harley, Morgan and Gotrek,
but with his massively thick skin, superb reflexes and powerful mind, he was next to impossible to
damage in any way quickly. But they tied him down and stopped him using his flight to move
around as his sons were. This meant that they were able to constantly chip away at him and slowly
but surely damage him, although it also meant being stood next to him and his wicked claws and
in line of his fearsome breath for the entire fight.
The main problem the party had was that Braken, their dependable priest, was virtually completely
out of healing. Morgan the paladin had all but nothing left as well. So the party were in serious
trouble, especially given how much damage Hookface was dishing out. Morgan, as usual, did a
brave job of keeping the dragon's attention, meaning he was the one getting attacked over and
over. It is not surprising then, that he was the first to fall. He collapsed under a wicked talon lash
and did not rise again. Hookface then turned and almost ripped Harley limb from limb. The rogue
also did not get up. That left Braken and Camero, both of whom were seriously injured, and
Gotrek, who alone seemed still full of energy and vitality. At this stage Hookface, now seriously
injured, took one massive blow from Gotrek's axe and a series of powerful magical assaults from
the other two and decided that it was time to flee. He called to his sons who flew up and away but
he himself could not flee so easily, as a wound inflicted early on by Harley was severely limiting
his movement.
He leapt up to a nearby building top, thus getting out of the range of Gotrek's axe and tried to fly
off. Braken and Gotrek rushed to the aid of the fallen Morgan and Harley, trying to stop them
bleeding to death, and Camero, either bravely or foolishly ran after the fleeing dragon, determined
to bring him down. Rounding a corner, Camero spotted Hookface flying up towards the city walls.
He blasted the dragon with arcane fire and the dragon, spotting a lone wizard facing him turned
and slashed Camero twice with his claws, dropping him to the floor unconscious. Braken and
Gotrek rushed to Camero's aid as Hookface launched painfully for the city walls once more.
Braken poured a healing potion down Camero's throat and the wizard came around, stood up,
dusted himself off and as the dragon was about to crest the walls and disappear from sight,
launched a volley of arcane magic into the fleeing dragon's back. It was just enough. The dragon
wheeled in flight and crashed into the city walls, demolishing part of the structure.
Bringing all the party to bare consciousness, the group took a moment to hack the head off
Hookface to add to their collection. Crowds of adoring townsfolk flocked around them cheering
and congratulating them. The name of Magma Force would be forever famous in these lands now.
The party rounded up the last few townsfolk still left in the city and hobbled out of the gates,
directing them on down the road in the direction of Redgorge.
Deciding they really needed some sleep before heading off to deal with the Cagewrights and the
Fiery Sanctum, the group summoned Sharpbeak and his cousins and with a stylish fly by of the
last townsfolk leaving the city they headed off to Redgorge by the fastest means possible.
An hour later they winged their way into the village of Redgorge, applauded by the evacuated
townsfolk now gather there. They landed at Morgan's mansion to be told by the foreman that
rooms would be readied for them all. He also told Morgan is manor would be complete in a few
months time, well before the rainy season and ahead of schedule. As the group ate and looked
forward to a good night's sleep a servant arrived asking them to go to the inn where the Council of
Cauldron were in session. The group finished their meal and headed over to the inn, wishing for a
respite.
The Council of Cauldron had set up session in a small back room in the inn. They had taken over
the whole inn which was now guarded by city guards. Welcoming Magma Force in the council
officially thanked them for saving Cauldron's populace and gifted them many rewards including
some magic and most of the treasure coffers of the old Cathedral of Wee Jas. They expressed their
thanks when the party said they were planning on going into the Fiery Sanctum to stop the
Cagewrights once and for all. After meeting with the council, and hoping to get some sleep, the
party were met outside the inn by Shensen. She was delighted to see Camero and told them that
the Chisel wanted to meet with them in the Hall of Stone across the village square. The party
made their way there where they were again congratulated rewarded handsomely for their work.
The Chisel were also very pleased to hear that the group planned to take the fight to the
Cagewrights soon. Finally, reaching home the group were surprised to find Nidrama waiting for
them. She also had a gift to reward them for their work and spoke at great length with them about
what they faced ahead.
She said that she was restricted from telling too much and in fact knew little or nothing about the
insides of the Fiery Sanctum, but said there was a mortal man in their, held captive by the
Cagewrights, who knew a great deal about what was going on and who, being mortal, was not
restricted in any way by what he could tell them. He was, she said, someone they knew already
but would say no more about who it was. The party gained much information and praise from the
angel and then she was gone and they were able, finally, to get some rest. Before they went to bed,
Camero and Braken told them that from all they could tell the Ritual of Planar Junction should
still take some time, maybe even days to complete.
The next day the group woke to see angry red skies above distant Cauldron city. In fact form this
far away it was clear that things were not as they should be. A portal was definitely forming
between the city and the clouds above and the skies looked like an alien landscape - just like
Carceri in fact. It seemed that Camero and Braken had been mistaken. Their best guess now was
that the ritual must have been finished and the portal was slowly forming. They believed that the
power of the erupting volcano had been harnessed and that this was what was powering the
formation of the portal! Something, they guessed the Tree of Shacked Souls, must have been
channelling the energy of the volcano into the forming of the portal. And from what they could see
there were only a few hours left before the portal was complete and the volcano would erupt. To
say nothing of the fact that Cauldron would be a gateway to a demonic prison plane if that
happened!!
Report Date
11 Apr 2024
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