Session 38: Rock and Roll Hall of Flame

General Summary

Continuing their journey through the Fire Dragon Trial, Lumina’s Dragoons found themselves at the exit from the large, many-tiered chamber. However, a massive blob of animated lava wearing a crown and a floating wisp of flame with a rough approximation of a face barred their passage. A fight ensued, Bud quickly learning that engaging the Fire Slime King in melee was painful, as flames and acid burst from it with each strike of his axe, which seemed to have no effect, either. To make matters worse, the slime split in two and they had two smaller slimes to contend with. Horrible lava pseudopods lashed out at Rath, but to no avail.
At that time, a flame wisp cackled and loosed a fireball, erupting in the middle of the party. Shots were fired at it from Gregg and Stan, but its form shifted dizzyingly in a blur of motion, providing to be quite a nimble target. Bolts of flame flew from their adversaries, a deftly placed arrow from Stan took down one slime and the other hid inside an area of magical darkness into which Gregg summoned a tidal wave.
With a sizzling impact, the darkness wavered and Bud threw his Bulette shield into it, managing to find its target. He then hurled Pebbles, who hammered his tiny fist into the slime to knock its lights out. As the second slime was slain, the darkness receded and it dissipated into smoke to leave behind its crown, which shrunk down in Pebbles’ little hands to a size that fit him. With the flaming wisp still to contend with, Gregg, Stan, and Rath launched various missiles at it, eventually blasting it into nothingness.
Free to proceed, the group made their way to the next chamber where natural stone bridges provided safe passage over rivers of slowly flowing lava. Investigating the area, Bud found a strange stone covered in runes that propelled him across the lava to a matching stone when he stepped atop it. There he got an intense sense of deja vu as he wandered toward a chest and encountered the hulking form of some manner of lava elemental. The party soon came to his aid and though the horrible creature shot lava from its eyes and hammered them with its fists, they soon overwhelmed it. However, Stanwick’s Thieves’ Tools were melted to slag in the battle and he had to dig the spare kit left over from Blu to open the chest.
Finding a few more chests and encountering a few more hazards of hot stones, steam, and gouts of flame, the party moved through the area. They also came across a passage that led to a rocky shelf overlooking the previous chamber, whereupon Stanwick triggered a magical trap that compelled to empty his waterskin onto the floor. Among their loot, Stanwick found an umbrella made of red leather and brass that he decided to hold over him for fear of more lava drops from the ceiling. It later saved him from a fiery slime that would have dropped down onto his head, though the thing ruined the umbrella before slinking away.
At the end of the chamber, they entered a dark tunnel that came to an apparent dead end. There was a massive stone slab in their way, which upon investigation was engraved with circular depressions. The crown from the slime king ended up being the key, opening the way as both it and the stone slab disappeared in a flash of smoke.
Arriving on the other side of the dark passage, the party found themselves navigating through the twists and turns of a winding path that ascended another massive chamber. They tried to avoid the hazards, but were blasted by steam and singed by the hot stone floor while passing the bridge over lava to a chest in the corner. It was looted (finding more coins and a strange mechanical fire starter device) before they continued up an incline to a raised stone platform. There Gregg discovered another of the circular stones engraved with runes, but this was inactive. Standing upon it, however, revealed glowing text on the stone wall in front of them. It contained a riddle with different lines written in alternating languages.
[undecipherable text] By me, most things are turned to waste I crack and snap, yet I stay whole [undecipherable text] I assisted all of the first men And I will pay them back again [undecipherable text] Yet run when I am released from my keep I jump around and leap and bound [undecipherable text]
The party used their assorted knowledge of the different languages to come to the conclusion that the riddle’s answer might be related to fire. However, though they stood on the stone, lit the lighter, cast fire magic, and so on, there seemed to be no effect, so they pressed on, where the group shimmied across a stone ledge to hopefully avoid a steam vent. Gregg lost his grip and fell, injuring himself but managing to rejoin the group just as they passed the center of the chamber where the path was split in the middle by a large pit of bubbling lava and flame.
Taking the right hand path, they traversed the stone floor and unknowingly disturbed what appeared to be two large disembodied hands of pure flame. As the things menaced them, the young adventurers steeled themselves for another dangerous encounter.
They’ve been trekking through this volcano for over an hour and a half, with way of knowing how much further to the end. The hazards and monsters have been wearing the party down and their resources are dwindling. Can they make it to the end? Can they fend off these flaming hands and make it out of the chamber? Only time will tell.

Rewards Granted

• 50 gp gemstones (x2, Carnelian - red-brown) and three petrified corks
• 1,100 gp and a dragon chess piece fashioned to look like fire myrmidon
• 50 gp gemstone (x1, Amethyst - transparent deep purple)
• 8,000 sp and a red leather umbrella that smells like sulfur and is lined with brass
• 700 cp and a Fire Starter Trinket (the device produces a miniature flame, which you can use to light a candle, torch, or campfire. Using the device requires your action.)

Report Date

10 Apr 2021

Primary Location

The Blazing Maw

Secondary Location

Kantrinna