The Dragon Knights Unleashed (IC Thread)

[tigerusthegreat]

Many centuries ago, six powerful dragons, in mortal guise, rose to power. They conquered the world, and the constant warfare they waged against one another nearly destroyed the world as it was. These dragons then turned on their brothers, systematically hunting down and killing other dragons so they would be the final and supreme rulers of the world. With draconic help, the mortal races rose up and overcame their dragon rulers one by one.

These dragons were powerful enough that killing them outright would only prolong the struggle, as they all had contingencies and followers willing to raise them back to life. Ba'lazink, a gold dragon, came to the conclusion that imprisoning the dragons in magical armor that would prevent them from assuming draconic form, and serve as a warning to others as to what they were. Bound by spells to prevent their death, and place them outside of time, these dragons were forgotten to all but legend.

The Magic Armor the dragons were imprisoned in keeps them in a mortal form. The black steel helms that cover their faces are etched with warnings about what the dragons are. In legend, these dragons are called the Dragon Knights, because of the full plate they are trapped in. In a stroke of genius, Ba'lazink bound the Dragon Knights into the armor by magical locks that can only be broken by the other Dragon Knights. In this way, the world is safe until all six Dragon Knights are released, and can be brought together. Even then, the Dragon Knights, old enemies, will have to work together to be freed.

All was thought well until a knight in Black Steel armor was seen in the Court of King Elsenon. Many believe it to be a tactic to keep other nations from attacking, but it is possible that one of the Dragon Knights has been brought back into the world.

This has convinced the five of you to meet, putting aside old differences and past hatreds, to work together to uncover the truth of what is going on here. If a mere human King can recover one of the Dragon Knights, or merely has the gall to challenge dragons such as yourself in such a way, then something must be done.

You've decided to meet far from the prying eyes of lesser mortals, in the wastelands of Drinora. Your are surrounded by the bleached bones of ancient dragons and dragonkin, and no mortal would be foolish enough to step foot here. Occasionally a ghostly form of a long-dead wyrm will appear, and wander aimlessly for a time, before dissolving into mist. It is a place your kind holds sacred, and no dragon will attack another here. It is used most often for these kinds of meetings. Its second use is as a refuge for those dragons near death to live out their last days in peace.

[Thump]

Ithlikar appears to be the first one to fly in. Circling the wastelands, he lands next to a skeleton of a dragon even bigger than he. Eying the are around him, he does a quick scan of the skies, to locate the other dragons, and watches as they glide nearby. Shifting into human form, he lands with a soft thump on the ground.

"Welcome to the Wastelands of Drinora, fellow dragons", he shouts up to the skies, where the other dragons still fly. He then takes a seat, resting on the skull of the magnificent skeleton, being careful not to shatter it.

[Aneurin]

Arca

The Red's landing contains little in the way or grace and elegance; it does however, contain an appreciable amount of power, and her claws tear up great chunks from the group, and her hammering wings send up thick clouds of choking dust. Even her choice to land second of them all sends a message; that she does not need to be cautious of the others, that she does not consider them to be a threat.

Each action calculated for the impression it gives, Arca radiates equal amounts of confidence and contempt for everything other than herself. If this partnership is going to work, then it is important to establish proper respect from the beginning.


As the dust begins to settle, Arca expels a noisy sigh and settles in to a position that is half-lying, half-sitting and all lounging. She gazes around the wasteland with every indication of interest.

"I can't say I'm impressed so far," she says as her gaze momentarily settles on Ithilkar. "From the legends of this place I was expecting something more... foreboding,"

[Maugan Ra]

Hevnograh is next to land, his massive bulk casting the entire area into shadow for a moment before he touches down. He approaches the meeting point on foot, swaggering and proud, and yet it does not escape notice that he places his steps carefully to avoid shattering even the smallest of the surrounding bones. Unlike the one already here, he remains in his natural Draconic form.

"Ithlikar." he rumbles in acknowledgement, before settling back and waiting for the others.

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen suddenly appears at the edge of the clearing in his human form. He slowly makes his way toward the others, stoping here and there to take a look at the finer bones laying about, what an army he could raise here.

After making the others wait the proper amount of time, he finally reaches them and nods at them.

"Ithlikar, Hevnograh, Arcanasthrinox."

[Thump]

Nodding to Hevnograh in acknowledgement, Ilithkar turns to Arca, and gives a slight laugh, as he shakes his head. "This entire place is deserted. You won't see anything except, you know, us. That, and a few other skeletons. Unless...", he pauses, "you see some of the the ghosts. Not like they'll pose any harm, but that's all you'll see."

[Maugan Ra]

"The reputation comes from superstition, but only a fool discounts an enemy just because they are dead." Hevnograh says in his rumbling voice.

"Now, to business. This potential Dragon Knight in the human kingdom. We need to meet it, to determine if it truly is one of them."

[TheDon]

"I agree, we need to verify the rumor's veracity. If it is a hoax, sanctions needs to be taken against the kingdom." His eyes getting smaller as he says this.

"The bigger problem, if one of the dragon knights was brought back, what do we do? We have to find a way to undermine him and even then, it will most likely take all five of us to take him down... if we are lucky." Shadrevaen shakes his head, dreading a straight on conflict with one of the famed dragon knight.

"Because of the possibility that the rumours are true, I suggest we use more indirect approaches, hiring people to cast divinations rather then do it ourself, infiltrate the castle... See if a simple communion spell is enough. We could try sending some minions against it in a straight confrontation, see how well he fairs... "

[Aneurin]

Arca

She lets out a snort at Ithilkar's observation, but declines to comment on it. Instead saying to Hevnograh;

"We fly in, we burn the court and we see if it survives. If it doesn't, then it is not a Dragon Knight. If it does, it is worthy of further investigation. The solution is fast, elegant, and allows us to return to our affairs in the shortest possible time. The only difficulty is ascertaining the location of the so-called Dragon Knight before we destroy it,"

[Thump]

Shifting back into his draconic form, Ithlikar turns sharply towards Arca, speaking up sharply. "If we burn the court, we'll have multiple kingdoms after our tails, you do realize this." Turning towards Shadrevaen, he speaks, slowly and quietly. "I can send one of my more powerful minions to the court. I agree with you."

[Aneurin]

Arca

She smiles broadly, showing a number of very large, very sharp teeth.

"That statement assumes there would be survivors. And..." as Arca speaks, her form ripples and changes colour and shape until a mirror image of Ithilkar stands in her place, although without his equipment. "...what do you mean 'we'?"

A moment later, though, she has returned to her initial appearance as a female Red. "However, as the subtle approach offers more opportunity for entertainment I will not oppose you should you choose to go down that route,"

[Maugan Ra]

Hevnograh chuckles deeply. "I agree with Arca. I've had kingdoms pursuing me before, it is hardly unmanageable. This talk of proxies and careful scouting by hired minions... It is foolish. Such things are for games and past-times, not potentially serious threats.

[Thump]

Shaking his head, he growls in frustration.

"Look, I'm not worried about the kingdoms. We could crush them any time we wanted to. What I'm worried about... are the blademasters. Their skill isn't near mine...", he scoffs, "but do you really want them chasing you? They are some of the more powerful mortals, some of them almost on par of the worthier opponents that I have faced. And there isn't just one. There are hundreds of them, maybe thousands. Who knows how many of them there are? If we make a ruckus, just like that, we'll get unwanted attention."

[Maugan Ra]

"The Blademasters have been chasing me for centuries. They're not bad, for mortal warriors, but I'm hardly worried about them." Hevnograh says in a dismissive tone. "Still, if you want to try something a bit more subtle, maybe we can pay a visit to this court. Maybe even in disguise. I admit, I am somewhat curious about this potential Knight. Might be worth speaking to it first."

[Re'ozul]

"Then perhaps we should keep to the shadows." you hear from perhaps a hundred feet away.

Everyone can now see a creeping mat of blackness, encroaching on the meeting area. Made up of tens of thousands diminutive shadow creatures it comes every closer until its frontmost edge crosses the unspoken border of the meeting place.
Its tip slows, the rest pushing forward causing it to bubble upwards into a black pillar. The blackness parts in front revealing first a golden mask, then an equally gold-embossed book, held in one hand as the figure moves closer.

"But then again, none of you are particularly adept at that, if I remember correctly."

Appearance:
http://www.nexodecaminos.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/lpb7_mage.jpg

[Thump]

"We can go into the court and investigate this so-called dragon knight first. If he isn't, in fact, a dragon knight, we can lay waste to the palace. If he is...", he shrugs as best as a dragon can, turning to Arca once again, "we fall back, and lay waste to the entire city. Will that satisfy your need for malice, Arcanasthrinox?" Sighing, he sits down while shifting back into his human form. To him, it almost feels more natural. He pulls the magnificent sword that he carries with him from its sheath, and takes a few minutes to polish it.

"Besides, it would be a good opportunity to find someone to spar with. Maybe this knight is worthy of my steel."

[Maugan Ra]

"Semperon. A theatrical entrance, as always." Hevnograh greets the late arrival, barely any sarcasm in his tone at all.

"Still, the plan works well enough. Who knows, there might be something interesting there for the horde." With that, Hevnograh calls upon his inborn magic and shifts down into his humanoid form, that of an elf with dusky skin and pale white hair. A moment's thought and he appears clad in fine clothing, not neccessarily extravagant, but passable.

"Let's not waste too much time, then. I'll see you all at the palace, if you're coming. If not, well, you'll probably hear about it all soon enough."

With that, he vanishes.

Greater Teleport, to get me to... say the roof of the Palace.

[Re'ozul]

Semperon sighs so audibly that even though he wears a mask you can still hear it.
"Does no one have a bit capacity for effeiciency? He could have taken us along.
Oh well, would anyone else care for a trip to the center of all this trouble?"

[Thump]

"My abilities of teleportation are not exactly the most reliable. If you didn't mind, dear Semperon, could you please take me there as well?" He hands Semperon a small pouch of gold as compensation for the teleportation, while sheathing his sword. Everyone still present notices a tentacle growing out of his back, and it is the appendage sheathing the sword.

I have given Semperon 250 GP.

OOC:

Maneuvers prepared:

Mountain Tombstone Strike, Time Stands Still, Adamantine Hurricane, Lightning Throw, Diamond Nightmare Blade, Iron Heart Surge, Death from Above

[Re'ozul]

"Is anyone else in need of transportation?"

[tigerusthegreat]

Hevnograh reappears at the roof of a large stone building. The palace is a fortress, and you are fortunate the archers on the towers are looking for invaders from the outside, not sudden appearances on the rooftop.

The city around the palace spreads for many miles, with a large twisting river running through it. There are large crowds of people forming around the palace, but for what reason you cannot tell.

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen groans as he sees the dragon disappear. "I was about to say that any repercussions might not be against us directly, but against all dragon kind. Clearly that doesn't matter now." Shadrevaen disappears also, appearing a short distance from Hevnograh and glares at him.

"Don't ruin it for everyone else and rush ahead without a plan, or I might just let you and watch from the sideline."

[Maugan Ra]

"That... was perhaps the least convincing argument and threat I have ever heard. Congratulations. Now come on, something seems to be happening, and I'm curious."

With that, Hevnograh pulls up a hood to obscure most of his head, and uses Dimension Door to reappear in a small alleyway near the edge of the gathering crowds around the palace (If Shadravaen doesn't object, he'll take him along too). He moves off, blending rapidly into the crowd and watching with interest to see if he can work out what's gotten them so interested.

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen lets himself be teleported down and whispers to Hevnograh before he leaves.

"You know you need us, else you wouldn't have came to the meeting, take it for the threat it is. And, clearly, I'm going to punch you in the face is a *much* scarier threat...

He then walks off, not trying to hide his identity as Kavenoff the XVII any, as a matter of fact, he would rather be recognized as a noble.

[Aneurin]

Arca

As she stares at the spot where the other two had vanished moments before, her eyes glitter.

"I could use the lift. I wouldn't miss this for anything," she says, and then mutters a word that has her flesh shiver and run like water, and her form seems to almost implode, until all that's left is a human woman in rough travelling clothes and a long green cape.

[Re'ozul]

Grabbing hold of the other two that are still with him Semperon closes his eyes and calls to his mind memories of places close to the palace that are very rarely frequented by anyone. Sometimes it helps being a wanderer.
Having found the best possible place for the moment he incantates.

"Space is but a concept, for our will transcends it and our magic forms it. By will of our minds it becomes meaningless, for we are where we believe to be."

[tigerusthegreat]

Teleporting below, the dragons mingle with the crowd. The crowd is yelling and shouting at the guards, and most of it is about the Dragon Knight. The people don't want to have the Dragon Knight in the country at all. They remember the legends of their power, and think the king is a fool for trying to use a Dragon Knight.

[Thump]

"Well...", Ithlikar slumps against a nearby wall, listening in to the crowd's protests.

"Blast. Alright, we need to meet up with the others and get into the castle. Show no mercy on this Dragon Knight. If he's out, we don't want him freeing the others. At this point, there's little this kingdom can do. If they're harboring him...", he stomps, "We'll just have to show them why you don't keep them around."

Spot check to find Hevnograh and Shadrevean. [roll0]

[Maugan Ra]

"Hmm. If no one objects, I can cause a distraction, and see if I can draw this Knight out here, along with most of the rest of the guards. You can use the commotion to get inside, or concentrate on the Knight when he stands revealed."

Hevnograh leans against the wall next to Ithlikar and the others, clearly having not gone very far. He makes no effort to disguise the eagerness in his voice, but at least he seems more willing to cooperate with the others than before.

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen teleports once again, this time to the castle entrance, appearing in plain sight.

He then addresses the guards there requesting an audience as Kavenoff the XVII, so that he may witness the might of this dragon knight himself.

Diplomacy : [roll0]

[Re'ozul]

Semperon can only sigh at the up-front nature of his companions.
Turning to them he hands them a small unremarkable stone each.

"Since I fear you will follow our impatient friend I give you these. Crush them should things become violent. It will cause some of the golden rings on my clothes in this form to disappear so I will notice.
I will choose a more subtle way of infiltration."

With that he once more turns into black fog and flows away through the alleyways.

Questions: (If you could answer them in the OOC)

Does the castle have a moat? Is there a sewer system in this place that extends under the castle? Are there any other points in the city where it is easy gain access to the castle walls?

The items are effectively 'Instant summons'.

[Maugan Ra]

Hevnograh blinks as he sees Shadrevaen enact his not-quite-a-plan. "Or we could try that. And here I thought I was being unsubtle."

[Thump]

Smiling slightly, Ithlikar turns back to Hevnograh.

"Considering your reputation for assaulting cities, you weren't. Do you want to kick in the door? We could probably take out their entire guard in under thirty seconds."

[Maugan Ra]

Hevnograh chuckles darkly. "I thought you'd never ask. But let's give them a chance to surrender first. And maybe offer apologetic tribute. Much more profitable that way."

He concentrated, and reappeared an instant later in the air high above the city, his form already warping and changing. As far as the unfortunate guards and citizens of the city could tell, a Collosal black dragon might as well have appeared out of thin air, landing on the roof of the palace with a force that made the ancient stone creak in protest.

The Great Wyrm glared at the crowds below, casting them all into shadow as noxious fumes spilled from between his fangs, and roared in challenge.

"Elsenon!"

And... Frightful presence, DC 33. Let's see what sort of reaction this gets...

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen rolls his eyes as he notices the form of Hevnograh in the sky and starts screaming along with the crowd.

"There's a DRAGON! Let me in! You have to let me in! I'm a noble, protect me!"

Bluff : [roll0]

[Thump]

Jumping high up into the air mid-shapechange, another, only slightly smaller dragon appears next to the black dragon. Ithlikar, roaring his approval, breathes up into the sky, and lightningbolts crash down all around, striking everything within distance, knocking down buildings and those around the area.

Breath weapon, 120ft cone of lightning. [roll0] Wait time [roll1], blow Medium enemies away (DC 48 Reflex save lessens to knocked down)

[tigerusthegreat]

Two of the dragons enter the sky, causing most of the people gathered around the palace to run for their lives. Blasting several nearby buildings just encourages more madness and fleeing, especially from the guards on the roof as one of the towers gets hit, sending debris onto the streets below.

The guards at the gate look ready to wet themselves, but do not immediately let Shadrevaen in. "Sir, there's a dragon on the roof, you should flee the city. If they are after the Dragon Knight, then this palace won't protect you...it will be your tomb."

(And everyone make spot and listen checks)

The palace does not have a moat, and you do not recall anything about the city's sewer system (many cities in this particular country do not have "modern" sewage, but you can't be sure if this one is an exception or not). You have seen no evidence of a sewer system, though. The walls near where Ithlikar blasted one of the towers can be climbed fairly easily now, and many people are running away from that area, so its unlikely you will be noticed.

[Maugan Ra]

Those checks:
Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

"Come forth, Elsenon! Or I will tear this city apart to get to you and your precious Knight!" Hevnograh roars.

[Thump]

Swooping down towards the gate where Shadrevean is, Ithlikar takes two mighty swings towards all the guards nearby, masterfully evading hitting his ally in the midst of combat.

Spot check: [roll0]
Listen check: [roll1]
Using Adamantine Hurricane, all enemies within my threatened range take two attacks. Power Attacking for full.
ITHLIKAR
HP 1000, AC 16 DR 20/Magic, Immunity to electricity
First attack roll [roll2]
Second attack roll[roll3]
Damage rolls: [roll4]
[roll5]
plus 1 CON damage per hit and [roll6] electricity damage per hit.

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen pushes his way through the (probably dead) guards, acting terrified.

"OH GOD! IT'S HERE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

And takes off in a dead run within the structure.

Bluff : [roll0]

[Re'ozul]

Arriving at the blasted wall, Shadowcloak lays hands on it and concentrates. Soon after he disappears only to shortly reappear inside the walls as darkness starts to bloom out from his point of entry.

Using Shadowmaster to recreate 'Phase Door', has an 80% chance of working so a few tries should make it happen.
Once on the other side of the wall, he starts casting darkness all over his path further in to make it harder to pinpoint him.

Things to know about his current status:
Active Spells:
Foresight; True seeing; arcane sight; Tongues; Displacement;
Others:(on top of what sheet says)
Resist Fire 26; can see in any kind of darkness; Blindsight 60'

Current AC as humanoid Shadowcloak: 41/touch 35/ Flatfooted 33

[Aneurin]

Arca

She watches the carnage unfold with an air of satisfaction, a craftswoman happy with her work. The screams of terror are like music to her. Although there is one thing that niggles at her, as she watches Ithilkar attacking the city.

"I thought he said that attacking was a bad idea?" she murmurs half to herself, as she pushes her way through the crowd in search of somewhere with a better view than the panicking streets.

The others appear to be enjoying themselves, and coping perfectly well, so what's the point of exposing herself as another target to the defenders? Especially when her allies were doing such a wonderful job of determining the defense capabilities of the city for her.

[Thump]

Laughing gleefully in his mind, Ithlikar lowers himself onto the ground, blocking some of the screaming crowd and guards. Snorting at the arrows bouncing off him, he braces his sword, and lets it loose in a deadly throw. It cleaves through the crowd, and returns to his hand.

Using Lightning Throw + Power Attack for full again. The Lightning Throw has a 30-foot line radius, cleaving through the center of the crowd, adding 12d6 extra damage.
ITHLIKAR
HP 1000, AC 16 DR 20/Magic, Immunity to electricity
Attack roll: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[tigerusthegreat]

Shadrevaen runs inside, through the line of dead guards. Inside the fortress, many people are running around. Occasionally, the roof thunders and stones and small rocks fall down from the ceiling. You are quickly able to find the throne room, but the only one left in there is a tall knight in black plate armor. He stares at you, and laughs. "Well, youngling, have you come to help free me from these bonds? Or do you serve the weak lesser mortals? I know your true form, young green."

Semperon moves through the halls, seeing nobody. Its as if the keep is abandoned. You can't help but feel this is odd, there should be dozens of fleeing people.

Hevnograh gets no answer from his demands.

Arca watches her companions tear apart the city.

Ithilikar destroys the few who remain around the city, throwing lightning and steel. The only one the is still standing is a young woman in a long, flowing dress. She stares hard at you. "You will not leave this place, dragon. I am sworn to kill your kind." She throws something at you, and it hits your thick hide, not causing any damage. You can feel something binding you to this place. You are sure you can still fly, but you don't think magical transportation will work for you for some time. You instinctively know that you cannot change form out of your dragon form either.

Map of outside (without the dragons on the roof)
Sorry for the bad quality.
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm285/tigerus2004/Dragon1.png

[Thump]

Staring equally hard back at the woman, Ithlikar turns around from his position at the gate, giving a disdainful sniff.

"You know, you just did two things wrong. For one, you just challenged the most powerful warrior on the planet to single combat. For another...", he gives what would pass for a laugh as a dragon, raising his sword, "you're standing within my reach, while I'm still in this form. If you live from this next attack, I will give you the honor of my name, and you can tell me yours."

With that, he unleashes a flurry of attacks on the woman, hoping to end her no sooner than when she finished speaking.

[Maugan Ra]

Perched on top of the castle, Hevnograh shifted position, watching the confrontation between Ithlikar and this almost suicidally brave mortal with interest.

[Re'ozul]

'Why is there no one present? This seems more and more like a setup. To entice us to do something foolish. Perhaps some expendable trap detectors are in order.'

Taking a bit of time, several earth elemental spring up around him, then move in front of and behind him as he walks along the corridors.

Taking 2 turns to summon a total of [roll0] large earth elementals via shadowmaster. They travers the corridors 40 feet in front and behind Semperon.
Semperon starts moving in the direction he presumes the keep's treasure vault to be.

[Aneurin]

Arca

She shoulders her way roughly through the streaming crowds of panicked humans. It's most tiresome being surrounded by a reeking tide of humanity in full bay, not so much fun as watching from afar.

Arca scowls. Time to do something about the crowds that are bothering her.

"Hey! The dragons are coming this way! They're coming! Run! Run for your lives!" she screams at the top of her lungs, before ducking in to a doorway and waiting for the stampede to pass her by. When the streets are clear apart from the occasional groaning victim of the mob, Arca begins walking briskly towards the nearest appropriately large building, taking advantage of the momentary lull.

One brisk climb later has her situated on a rooftop with an excellent view; as the stretches out luxuriantly on the tiles she allows a smile to creep onto her face. From up here she can appreciate the chaos in peace; and there's a good view of whatever the others are doing up by the palace, too.

Life is very good sometimes.

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen stops running and slowly walks toward the black figure, keeping a good distance. As he walks, taking his time, he discretely holds the greater prying eye hidden on him, to see what it sees with true seeing. He then smirks "My my, I guess it's pointless to keep the charade then. Not much I can do about the bonds, as, I'm sure, you're aware of. Might I inquire about your intentions now that you're back?"

[tigerusthegreat]

With several of Ithlikar's strikes hitting the woman's clothing, but only one wounding her hard in the shoulder, the battle will prove to be more climactic than initially thought. From out of nowhere, she produces a strange object. It looks like three swords forged together at the pommel, with a ring of steel connecting the hand guards. You can feel the magic of the weapon as soon as it is visible, and feel its hatred of you and your kind. "Dragon, you are within my reach as well. You need not know my name, but recognize this as Krithi'Caran, the dragon foe. This is one of the weapons of The Master, and his hatred of your kind fuels its power." She dances with the weapon, and it flies from her hands, striking dragon, richoteting off the ground, and hitting him again. It only misses him once, and thankfully his thick scales absorb another pair of impacts, but three long gashes adorn his wings and foreclaw. The weapon bounces back to the woman, who plucks it out of the air as if it were not a sharpened instrument of death. She seems invigorated by the return of her weapon, and her eyes begin to glow blue.

The attacks that hit (not taking DR into consideration but this counts as an epic magical weapon that is good aligned for purposes of DR):
1. 68 slashing damage with 1 negative level (DC: 30 after 24 hours to negate) and 1 Dex damage
2. 54 slashing damage with 3 negative levels (DC: 30 after 24 hours to negate) and 1 Dex damage
3. 70 slashing damage with 4 negative levels (DC: 30 after 24 hours to negate) and 1 Dex damage

Total: 192 damage, 3 dex damage and 8 negative levels...She's a nasty one. Also, though its at range, she is not provoking AoO's

Those watching the fight see the woman's attack, and that it has injured Ithilkar, but unless they have magic detection, do not see the negative energy drain.

Semperon summons elementals, but still sees nobody.

Arca finds a perch on a rooftop, after causing some more chaos.

"Once the others are freed, I will be able to take my place as the rule of this world once again. I was a fool to try to kill off the other dragons, and I see that now. We were meant as a race to rule, killing my brothers was a waste." the Dragon Knight says to Shadrevaen

[Maugan Ra]

Hevnograh's claws bite deeper into the stonework as he recognizes the weapon that is injuring his fellow dragon. Interesting thing. With a muttered word, he sheathed himself in magic to defend against the worst side effects of the blade.

Casting Death Ward on myself. See, the wise man/dragon learns from the pain of others.

"Need assistance, Ithlikar?" he called out to the Blue. He didn't know if the sword fighter would accept it, but the offer was at least there.

[Thump]

Roaring in pain, Ithlikar settles himself after a moment, definitely feeling drained. He responds to the woman after taking a moment to breathe.

"Tell me, little one. You're not just an ordinary Champion of your god, are you? That was... different. Very well, then. You may know me as Ithlikar the Stormbringer."

He flies up, perching next to Hevnograh, and speaks to the even bigger black dragon.

"This one isn't just a champion, or any warrior I've faced before. I felt my life draining, similar to that of a wight's. I may need assistance with this." Cringing even as he says this, he braces himself against the laughter that is sure to come.

"Tell me, Hevnograh the Black. Have you ever heard of the Dragonslayer?" With that, Ithlikar fires off another cone of lightning, aiming to knock the woman off her feet.


I use my breath weapon, and take a swift action to cast Greater Stunning Breath combined with Tempest Breath (Reflex DC 40 half, and another to avoid being blown away [roll0] x 10 feet.

HP 773/960, AC 52 DR 20/Magic, 30 negative levels remaining before death
Fast Healing 5
[roll1] electricity damage

[roll2] rounds before breath weapon is reusable

[roll3] rounds stunned if the woman fails a DC 40 Fortitude save

[Maugan Ra]

"I've heard of the Dragonslayer, yes. And she is certainly a potent one. A considerable amount of magic has gone into that blade, and more than a little is enhancing her own abilities."

He turns his attention to the defiant warrior. "Very impressive, little one. But tell me, how would you fair if we removed some of those advantages you have?"

(I'm aware this will probably happen after she gets to act. It can be assumed to be Hevnograh's action mostly regardless of other factors, unless she makes it back into Melee combat with him or Ithlikar.)

"Disjunction."

[tigerusthegreat]

"I was sent to delay one of you, delaying two is almost too much luck to believe." She says. Ithlikar can see her dance in his lightning storm, avoiding being hit by any of it. It is truly an impressive display of acrobatics, which is further enhanced by the spinning blade heading for Ithlikar again. It dices into him, striking four times in a row, leaving his leg tendons raw and bleeding, and him uncertain if his wings will carry him away from this place.


1: 54 damage, 4 negative levels, 1 Dex damage
2: 65 damage, 2 negative levels, 1 Dex damage
3: 72 damage, 4 negative levels, 1 Dex damage
4: 48 damage, 1 negative levels, 1 Dex damage

total this round: 239 damage, 11 negative levels, 4 dex damage


The glow in her eyes has turned into a visible glow around her. The energy that surrounds her is pure abjuration to those who can see magic. Not wasting any time on letting her get another attack in, Hevnograh unleashes the power of a mighty Disjunction on her. The spell seems to tear apart the magic auras present in her equipment and her protections. When it is finished, there is nothing left, not even a corpse. She has disappeared completely.

Dun dun DUN!!!!

[Maugan Ra]

"Well. That's a little ominous." Hevnograh says after a few moments. Then he turns his scaly head to look at Ithlikar's injuries. "Hold still. I don't want you dying yet."

(I will take a total of six rounds to cast Restoration, followed by three sets of Heal. This should completely remove all damage, negative levels and ability damage that Ithlikar suffered in the fight. Unless something happens in those thirty seconds or so...)

"You owe me. We will negotiate repayment at a later date. For now, let's see where our peers have gotten to."

[Thump]

Slumping against the palace roof, Ithlikar sighs.

"Damn... her... that wasn't fair. What in the Nine Hells was that?" Trying to get up, he collapses back down, and grunts.

"If you would not mind the assistance? We have a problem on our hands, and the more of us that are up and moving, the better. We need to check on the others. Just tell me what I need to pay you and I'll do it later."

439/910 HP, 19/38 negative levels. 3 DEX.

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen rubs his chin. "and what happens if the others decide that it is not your world to rule but their, will you wage war amongst yourselfs using dragons as foot soldier, plunging our kind in a millennia long war? The last one decimated our kind. What then, tell me?"


what does Sharevaen see under true seeing?

[tigerusthegreat]

(Under True seeing, you see only the armor. It appears to be blocking your magical sight).

"I think we will all agree to work together to stop this from happening again. Our in-fighting lead us to be imprisoned, so our unity will be our freedom. That was the golden one's plan all along: a peaceful dragon society with no lesser beings to screw it up. He imprisoned us to teach us this lesson. Centuries of thought have lead me to see the truth."

[Aneurin]

Arca

She scowls as she's forced to stand up on her rooftop perch in order to see why the Blue has stopped doing whatever strange ritual that he'd been performing. Typical Blue, spoiling her fun. His flailing had just started getting interesting too.

Couldn't have been anything too serious, though, otherwise the Black would have gotten involved. Well, probably. Gotten involved or started to laugh. One of the two.

Still, maybe she should do something...


Muttering a few words under her breath, she points an arm somewhere off to her left - and, as if by magic, the sound of distant dragons shrieking in anger starts up over the next block of houses.

Ghost Sound! Centred 100ft to Arca's left.

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen shifts front foot to foot considering his options. His form then starts expanding rapidly as he takes his draconic form once again.

"No point continuing this conversation here, hop on." He then spreads his wings and takes flight, bursting through the ceiling, sending debris everywhere. He lets out a loud roar as he takes to the sky to attract the others attention.

[Maugan Ra]

Hevnograh blinked a few times, momentarily distracted from the task of healing the Blue by the emergence of the Green through the roof just a short distance away from him. And then he took a closer look and felt true and honest surprise.

"Shadrevaen. I am going to do you a tremendous honour and assume that you have not, in fact, been defeated and enslaved inside of a minute." he said after a moment's thought. "Therefore, kindly do me a similar honour and explain why in the nine hells you appear to be assisting what I can only believe is a Knight."

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen smirks. "Looking for a
more secluded location to continue our little conversation. Might I suggest you come along?"

[Maugan Ra]

The Black dragon considered, for a very long moment, just attempting to eat the irritating Green and the Knight, but reluctantly concluded that it was probably impossible. Or at least considerably more difficult than he was willing to invest in.

"Arca. I am quite sure you can see us, because otherwise you'd miss out on all the interesting pain and death. We'll go to the place we met. Feel free to grab the other one and come along." he calls out, guessing that the Red can probably hear him. Then he looks back at the Green and his unexpected companion.

"I do trust that this explanation will be worth the inconvenience. Greater Teleport."

(He'll teleport to the graveyard where we met initially, taking the Dragon Knight, Ithlikar and Shadrevaen with him. If the teleport-barring effect is still on Ithlikar, then Hevnograh is just going to leave him, though he will finish the Restoration first.)

[Thump]

Having recovered enough thanks to Hevnograh's helping talons, Ithlikar rises into the air, albeit unsteadily, thanks to the meddling dragonslayer's sword.

"Unless you want one of us dead, I'd recommend we pick up Semperon first. If the dragonslayer is still around, she'll make mincemeat out of him. I'm not sure what she had, but had I decided to stick around longer, and without the Black's help, I would probably have been dead about one minute ago. Considering she would have killed ME in thirty seconds, she may kill him even faster." Ruffling his scales slightly, showing clear signs of being uncomfortable, he flies a little bit closer to Shadrevean, as to speak to the Knight.

"Listen. I'm not entirely sure what it is that you want, but if you're not against us, then we have a bigger threat at the moment."

Taking a few slow loops, regaining his muscle-power in his wings, he then shouts back to Hevnograh.

"If you're going to leave, at least finish healing me, please. I'll catch up with you, but I can't leave for a good amount of time by the same way you can."

[Maugan Ra]

"Bah. The skulking one can take care of himself. And I have no real desire to go hunting a Dragonslayer through tightly enclosed spaces without prior preparation. How you lived to this age amazes me."

[Thump]

Feeling slightly insulted at the last remark, but understanding Hevnograh's words, Ithlikar gives a very calm reply, considering the situation.

"I didn't have THE Dragonslayer after me these past thousand years, until now. Plus, I was on my own for most of that time. My natural fast healing has kept me alive when I was wounded. What you say is true, now that my head is clearing. I couldn't even get inside, because I'm not just limited to not being able to teleport. I can't even shift to a smaller form. I'll catch up with you."

[tigerusthegreat]

The Dragon Knight agrees to follow, using Shadrevean as a mount for the time being. Ithlikar is healed of his physical injuries, but the emotional ones will take more time to sort out. He is still bound, unable to teleport away, and stuck in his draconic form.

His assailant has not made another appearance since the disjunction that caused her disappearance.

Semperon finds the way to a large vault under the fortress. However, the only path to it has been blocked by large amounts of rubble from Shadrevean's escape.

[Re'ozul]

Semperon does not like where this is going. There are several reasons why such a place would be abandoned, a trap being one. Attempting to prepare himself, he weaves magic that will allow him to be warned should something attempt to teleport close to him.
Immediately afterwards, he calls forth further numbers of stonewrought giants and orders them to clear the path into the vault.

First round: Anticipate teleport (affects 125' around Semperon)
Four more rounds: [roll0] [roll1] [roll2] [roll3]
of Huge earth elementals via shadowmaster, tasked with clearing the hallway.

Things to know about his current status:
Active Spells:
Foresight; True seeing; arcane sight; Tongues; Displacement; Anticipate Teleport
Others:(on top of what sheet says)
Resist Fire 26; can see in any kind of darkness; Blindsight 60'

Current AC as humanoid Shadowcloak: 41/touch 35/ Flatfooted 33

[Maugan Ra]

Arriving without too many problems, Hevnograh glides in to land in the Draconic graveyard. Settling his enormous bulk comfortably, he turns to regard the Dragon-Knight once more.

"So. What exactly did you say that dissuaded Shadrevaen from the initial plan of just devouring you? Or banishing you back beyond time... I forget which we settled on."

[Aneurin]

Arca

With a disgruntled snarl as her potential lift vanishes into the aether, Arca raises her hands in a spellcasting gesture and begins to intone the words of a spell; as soon as she's done, she begins another.

As she finishes the second spell, she vanishes from mortal sight... and hurries down the stairs, through the closed door and out into the busy street passing through the few foolhardy souls braving the shrieking chorus of "dragons". Her eyes fasten on the castle as the source of her current irritation - one of the others seems to still be there, and smashing the blasted palace into itty bitty pieces may prove rather satisfying.

Casts Haste, then Greater Blink - each of which lasts 17 rounds, then goes looking for Semperon and Ithilkar in the castle while fully Incorporeal. Base movement speed 50+30 = 80ft.

[TheDon]

Shadrevaen turns his head to look at the dragon knight on his back. "Will the armour, or anything else, interfere with the teleportation?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"The armor anchors me to this plane, so I cannot be teleported. That gold snake made sure it would be very hard for the Knights to be united together and freed."


Arca quickly finds Semperon, trying to open a pathway in a partially collapsed hallway. Semperon summons more earth elementals, and they begin to work at clearing the hallway, but there is a great deal of rubble to move.

Hevnograh quickly reappears in the graveyard, but is very much alone.

[Maugan Ra]

The dragon quickly works out what likely happened, and cursing, teleports back to above the city.

"Irritating. Fine then, we'll fly there. Talk as we go." he grumbles as he reappears in the sky next to Shadrevaen.

[Thump]

Ithlikar notices two things. One, Shadrevean and the knight were still in the city, having not teleported back with Hevnograh. Second, Arca is now inside the castle with Semperon, and his temper is growing short.

"Red! Get back here with Semperon. We're leaving this city, now. We can't teleport back, so we have to fly all the way back." He groans at this, still feeling a slight amount of tenderness in his wings, and noticing the long scars along them.

At least it's another set of scars to add to the rapidly-growing collection.

[Aneurin]

Arca

Sticking her tongue out impudently at Semperon, Arca proceeds to walk through the rubble, relying on her magical incorporeality to find out if the entire vault has been collapsed or just the door.

If she happens to find her way in, she makes a point of pocketing a few valuables before returning to Semperon with a report of the treasures.


At Ithilkar's shout, she idly raises her eyes to the ceiling.

"Thank you, moron. Now they know there's four of us here. This is not going to end well," she says. Although nowhere near loud enough for Ithilar to actually hear her, Semperon should be able to hear just fine. "We're probably going to have some kind of lunatic dragonslayer along in a few minutes. It already beat up the Brains Trust up there, and down here it will be difficult kill them without damaging their stuff,"

[Re'ozul]

Semperon does not care about Arca's childishness. Time means nothing to them, so there is no hurry. As the Elementals work, he summons new ones as the old ones disappear.
It is more a gamble to see if the enemy will be drawn out by his actions. A few well placed disintegrates could most likely clear the hallway in a few seconds, but he has long since become frugal in his use of actual magic, relying mostly on his connection to the shadows.
He has time, there is no hurry.

Things to know about his current status:
Active Spells:
Foresight; True seeing; arcane sight; Tongues; Displacement; Anticipate Teleport
Others:(on top of what sheet says)
Resist Fire 26; can see in any kind of darkness; Blindsight 60'

Current AC as humanoid Shadowcloak: 41/touch 35/ Flatfooted 33

[tigerusthegreat]

The elementals finish clearing the hallway, revealing a large stone doorway with several stout locks on it. It is not very ornate, but seems very secure. Nobody appears to stop you.

[TheDon]

Where wen rolls his eyes "Of course he did. Very well" While they fly, he fills in the two dragons flying by his side. "In conclusion, while I'm by no mean trusting him, no offence, I do think this warrants further talk."

[Re'ozul]

Semperon takes half a minute to have his shadows coalesce into several Lillends knowing that their abilities, while merely bad copies of the originals might be of use here.

Summon 5 Lillends via shadowmaster and telling them to cast knock upon the locks. Each can use it 3 times. Each attempt has an 80% chance of working.

Things to know about his current status:
Active Spells:
Foresight; True seeing; arcane sight; Tongues; Displacement; Anticipate Teleport
Others:(on top of what sheet says)
Resist Fire 26; can see in any kind of darkness; Blindsight 60'

Current AC as humanoid Shadowcloak: 41/touch 35/ Flatfooted 33

[tigerusthegreat]

The door is quickly unlocked and opened, revealing....an empty vault, save a few small coins scattered throughout. The treasury of the country appears to be bare.

[Re'ozul]

'So it does appear that this was most likely a sort of trap. Either that or the monarch was idiotic enough to spend all his wealth on aquiring the old foe.
Very well.'

Once more dissolving into shapeless Fog, Semperon moves throug the broken walls and ceiling out of the keep.

[Thump]

Seeing Semperon dissipate into fog, which floated up towards him, Ithlikar sighs, and takes off towards the wastelands, letting out one final gust of lightning towards the city before disappearing in the sky.

Using Invisibility.

[Aneurin]

Arca

She runs a cynical eye over the apparantly stricken vault, then raises her hand and mutters a few words under her breath, before gazing around the room in search of the tell-tale glow of magical auras.

Casting Detect Magic

[tigerusthegreat]

Most of the dragons leave the city...mostly in rubble. Arca detects magic on the vault, and finds that it is empty. Once there were abjurant auras here, and there were magic items kept here at some point in the past, but there's nothing currently there.

[Maugan Ra]

As they fly away from the city, Hevnograh listens to the related statements of the Dragon Knight and Shadrevaen. He is quiet for a time, considering the possibilities.

"A Draconic society, one to rule the world..." he says eventually. "I cannot deny that such a thing would be a fine goal to work towards... though I would likely preserve at least some of the mortals in my own territory. They make fine servants. But how would such a thing be brought about?"

[Thump]

Blinking back into plain sight, Ithlikar glides back to the others, giving Hevnograh a short, terse answer.

"First, we can either gain the alliance of the rest of the dragons, or free the Knights if they prove trustworthy. Then, we decide how to take the world from there."

[Aneurin]

Arca

With a disgusted snort, she turns on her heel and stalks out of the empty treasury, muttering all the way.

"Of all the stupid things to have. An empty treasury? Why? What could some half-wit shortlife king possibly spend an entire country's wealth on? There's not even any jewellery or statuary left for me to take. I travel to this gods-forsaken city, put my plans on hold and all for what? A few cheap laughs watching that lame-brained Blue get himself hurt?"

Arca's muttering continues all the way through the city as she shoulders and elbows her way through the crowds, out of the game an in to the first patch of cover she can find, before she reverts to her draconic form and - with a few words - vanishes from sight.

Soon, the sound of receding wingbeats can be heard.

Invisibility spell. She takes a very roundabout route to the graveyard, too, to avoid pursuit.

[tigerusthegreat]

"The best chance for a dragon-ruled world is in my fellow Dragon Knights. Fear of us alone would make many mortal nations cower, as they did in the old days. The thought of me being in his court led many neighbors to cede land to the fool who is now buried in his broken palace."

[Thump]

Thinking back to the old days as the group flies, something dawns on Ithlikar. He realizes it wouldn't be the best idea to go to the human equivalent of a dragon cemetery with the one responsible for most of the deaths.

"We're going to have to take this somewhere else. If we take the Knight to the wastelands, the spirits may not be pleased. They tolerated our presence, but if we arrive with him...", he shudders mentally,

"...they won't treat us as kindly. Don't forget, some of the ones who died were even older than us, and there were many of them who died.


So, does anyone else have ideas?

[TheDon]

"Some impassable mountains? Can someone contact Arca and Semperon and let them know?

So, here's a few questions for you, dragon knight. Where have you been all this time? What brought you back? Why a human court? Where are the other dragon knights?

Feel free to answer any of these in the order you wish."

[tigerusthegreat]

"I do not know where the other Knights are kept. I was among the last to be captured, but there was no word or rumor of this imprisonment. I was held outside of time and space, on a demi-plane folded into existence upon this plane. It was housed at the end of a long and dangerous dungeon. The Emperor retrieved me by sending scores of men, outfitted at great expense, and very few survived the journey. I have very little power in this form, no more than a lesser mortal in armor, so I could not very well just flee. Besides, manipulating the Emperor into finding the other Dragon Knights would have served my purposes, and I had no reason to abandon the chance that he would succeed at that."

[Thump]

Ithlikar tilts his head slightly at the mention of "extremely dangerous dungeon" and "scores of men", speaking up after the Knight finishes his word.

"How dangerous could it be, if he had to send scores of peons after you? One creature that I would consider weak and pathetic, for instance, a lavawight. One of those could stop a horde, but would it stop even one of us? I mean, five of the most powerful dragons on this plane, working together to free your companions. Unless we run into that dragonslayer again, I don't think we'll have many problems, except for figuring out where to go next after we have a little chat with you."

"For the moment, though, you're not much of a threat to us. I have a few other inquiries, but for now, I'd like to ask this; Do you know of any other kingdoms interested in acquiring you or one of your fellow Knights?"

[tigerusthegreat]

"If you consider a cadre of their best fighting men and casters peons, then I understand. Those that survived to find me were powerful for the lesser races, but the dungeons were designed specifically with our kind in mind. It was thought no lesser mortal would dream of unleashing us, let alone all of us. I do not know of another realm willing to try to recover one of my bretheren, but I'm certain it is only a matter of time until another tries."