Session 35: Close the Purses, Start the Curses

General Summary

The Dragoons had made their way through the woods, which Trent believed to be a few miles south of their hometown. They soon stumbled across a goblin camp and Rath and Bud Towers, Paladin of Our Time, Man of Stone, Literal Stone Tower (we’re still working on the rebranding) stepped loudly onto twigs at the same time. What poor luck! They were noticed by the goblins and the alarm was sounded.
After a quick, brutal, and decisive victory with the assistance of a powerful adventurer-turned-archmage, the Dragoons searched the goblin camp for anything of use. They recovered a bit of coin and some gems. Some poisonous mushrooms were also picked up and packed securely away to be used in some future battle. During the battle, Trent was also able to retrieve a magical goblin’s hat (the goblin was magical, not the hat, unless...?). The Dragoons (+1 archmage), then continued on their way.
After about an hour of traveling, Trent noticed movement in the bushes off to the side of the path. In truth, it was the bushes themselves that were moving, as the dirt and plant life had combined into large, shambling mounds of rotting greenery. Within mere seconds, Vaylin had obliterated and withered the plant monsters, with some help from the Dragoons and their magical goat.
The party decided that they wanted to hunt more and set out to find more evil creatures, to which their guest begrudgingly obliged. They got their wish when the group stumbled into some massive spider webs and soon were set upon by monstrous spider creatures (giant spiders and ettercaps). After filling their murderous hobo intent, and seemingly making the area safer for travelers, the party decided to continue their trek toward the mountain to meet with Tervus. When they arrived, they found the entrance had been sealed, but Bud and his Dragon Stone opened the way. With no Trial to complete, the Earth Dragon Cave was still and devoid of any monsters or hazards. Multicolored gems glittered in the cave walls and a section of the cave wall had been raised allowing a shortcut to Tervus, Dragon of Earth, who was waiting for them. While three of the Chosen had met him before, the new recruits had not and found him to be much grander than they had imagined from the legends. He welcomed the group and noted the loss of Blu, the addition of a replacement, and was intrigued that the ancient Aether Dragon Stone had appeared again. Tervus wondered what that could mean.
Vaylin then introduced himself to the Great Dragon, inquiring about Eva, and if she was the one “from before”. Apparently during his travels in the past with Zeke, who Tervus referred to as “Lumina’s Champion”, those two adventurers had come across a child who they gave to a temple in Northvale some 16 years ago. It seemed to be that the fate of the world hinged upon the answer to this question. Since Vaylin had saved the world and was a trusted friend to Lumina’s Champion, Tervus saw fit to tell Vaylin the truth, giving confirmation that Eva is “the one”. Upon receiving the answer he sought, something changed in the legendary hero as Vaylin began to laugh. He raised his staff and slammed it into the ground. Massive force pushed the Dragoons back against the walls. Vaylin underwent a magical costume change into dark robes and a mask, his body crackling with purple energy and shadow.
“Then...the time has finally come! My Ascendance will soon be at hand, and a new god will rise to restore order to this fallen world and drive back the darkness!”, decried Vaylin. “No, Vaylin. You can’t be!” said Tervus. “Yes. Not merely headmaster Vaylin, nor Vaylin of the Four Heroes, but Vaylin the Ascendant!” Vaylin cackled. “And my first order of business, shall be your enslavement!”
Vaylin brought forth a dark purple sword with no guard. It had runes along the blade and a horrible purple sphere embedded above the grip. There was something incredibly wrong and unsettling about that sword. So much so, that the power of the legendary Dragon Stones began to wither in the presence of the sword. As they could sense the terror from their sentient stones, the Dragoons also felt some of their vitality leave them, fear gripping their hearts. They were exhausted and overwhelmed by the intense, raw power radiating from the sword.
After a terrible clash of magic and wills between archmage and Dragon, Vaylin drove the sword into the ground as inky black tendrils of shadow snaked out from it to restrain Tervus. After another clash of potent arcane magicks, their thunderous force deafening and bewildering the heroes, Tervus roared in pain and defiance as he was imprisoned in a rune-covered doe of purple light and shadow. Though he struggled against it, he was ultimately captured. Something in the world broke, and an emptiness washed over Bud Towers, Chosen of the Earth Dragon. Tervus’ avatar was summarily reduced to a single glowing green crystal that landed in The Ascendant’s hand.
The deed done, the archmage laughed and followed up with, “But first, the girl!”. Vaylin then raised his staff and teleported away, no doubt to go after the cleric, Eva. The air shimmered and the cavern shook with a mighty earthquake which then stilled. After a calm moment, an aftershock shook loose a section of the cavern’s roof, causing rocks of all sizes to fall upon the party. Luckily none of them were harmed, though a horse-sized chunk of rock fell down, narrowly missing Gregg. With the Earth Dragon Cave collapsing around them, and seemingly no way to continue their quest to meet the next Dragon, how were Lumina’s Dragoons going to survive the impending collapse, not only of the cave, but perhaps the world as they knew it...?

Rewards Granted

• Muroosa Balm (can be made into medicine)
• Cobwebs (can be made into medicine)
• Zabou Mushroom (can be made into a poisonous bomb)

• 344 gp total:
• 4,400 cp
• 1,520 sp
• 150 gp

• 100 gp gemstone (x1): Diamond
• 10 gp gemstones (×6):

• Blue quartz (transparent pale blue), ×2
• Eye agate (translucent circles of gray, white brown, blue, or green)
• Lapis lazuli (opaque light and dark blue with yellow flecks)
• Rhodochrosite (opaque light pink)
• Turquoise (opaque light blue-green)

Character(s) interacted with

• Vaylin 
• Tervus 

Report Date

11 Jan 2021

Primary Location

Caldor Isle