Xorian Wars: Alliance and Rebellion

[Anxe]

Alliance Session #38/Total Session #49
This session was attended by Throgg, Ozymandias, Salzar, and Zigfried. The session was held over Google Hangouts using Roll20 like we usually do. Middle_Snu’s character, Hektor was left out of the action, but I took up the mantle of Tagenadi and played him for thewamp during this session.

The party prepared for their battle with Invernix with a battery of protection spells. Fire immunity, resist lightning, resist cold, protection from lightning, protection from cold, and shield of law were cast on everyone. Death ward and overland flight were cast on those who needed the spells. Other buffs included several ones that Eathirilu cast upon himself, a few that Amalius cast on himself, and the activation of Aldarian’s invisibility ring. With everyone flying and protected from magical attacks of all kinds, the group teleported to just below the northwest volcano of Greshendale.
Greshendale is composed of five volcanoes. One volcano at the center is five times the size of the other four. The central volcano imprisoned the Dahak before Tentineh created Greshendale. The other four volcanoes imprisoned the Dahak’s omnielementals that continue to reside within the city, powering the magical rituals that keep the city running. The volcanoes are ripped out of the earth and now float upside down in the sky. The city buildings rest on what was once the base of the volcanoes. Below, the calderas are filled with lava that is held back by five immense blue walls of force. The walls of force keep the lava inside for use as power to keep the city aloft. At the direct center of each of the upside down calderas a sphere of force similar to a wall of force contains an Orb of Dragonkind which powers the lights in each section of the city. The whole complex is nailed to the sky. The lowest peak (originally the highest) of the Dahak’s volcano is two miles above the ground, while the four volcanoes are three and a half miles from the earth.
The party popped in one thousand feet below the caldera of the northwest volcano. From there the party inspected the floating Orb above. Eathirilu extended his sense with commune with nature and pinpointed Invernix’s cave on the northwestern rim of the caldera. Torin cast find the path to confirm the discovery of Eathirilu’s spell. The group had guessed that if they simply stole the Orb then the dragon would chase them wherever they took it. After surveying the area the group teleported once again directly into the lair of Invernix.
The cave was small for a dragon. An immense forty foot diameter opening allowed access to the sky. The cave deepened and expanded forming an huge room. A tunnel extended leftwards out of the cavern. Invernix lay coiled at the back of the first room, his head focused on the entrance where the party appeared. The great dragon raised his head and spoke in a voice filled with the smell of fire and smoke, ”Hua hua hua! Welcome to your doom, mortals…”
The party leaped into action! Tagenadi took a defensive position and tried to draw the dragon’s attention. Eathirilu began summoning some dinosaurs to aid the party. The Invernix rose and ignored Tagenadi’s ineffective cuts as he moved to a different part of the cave, the caldera trembling as he walked. “You came for the Orb, but you will find only...” he took a deep breath, smoke flowing into his nostrils, “FIRE!” Invernix unleashed a torrent of flames upon the entire party. Fortunately, everyone was protected from fire, but fire wasn’t the only thing dangerous about the dragon’s breath. The party stood shocked as the fire stripped away parts of their magical protections. Amalius lost his fire immunity but his vigor protected him from any serious burns.
Invernix followed up his breath weapon with a horrid wilting spell that dealt a little bit more damage across the party. Torin moved in and healed as many people as he could. Aldarian circled around to flank the dragon with Tagenadi. Amalius moved to the edge of the cave to target the dragon with a failed mental attack. With the spell failed, Amalius taunted the dragon using his telepathy, “What’s the matter? Can’t perform as well in your old age?”
“Come a little closer and I’ll show you how well I can perform.”
Tagenadi began cutting into the dragon using his crusader training. Eathirilu finished his summoning spell and brought four tyrannosaurs into the fight. He quickly shapeshifted into a tyrannosaurus form himself and cast animal growth on himself and the four summoned dinos. His minions moved to engage Invernix and took big chomps out of the dragon's hide.
Invernix could not stand the existence of the foul beasts. He uttered an incomprehensible word of chaos that wormed its way into the minds of Torin, Eathirilu, and Tagenadi. Tagenadi momentarily lost his hearing. Torin and Eathrilu lost their focus and were stunned. More importantly, the T-rexes were dismissed back to where they had come from.
Amalius tried another mental attack that failed. Aldarian flanked the dragon with Tagenadi, but was unable to pierce its hide with his flimsy rapier. Tagenadi continued to attack Invernix, slowly shaving away the dragon's scales. The dragon ripped away at Eathirilu while the poor druid was stunned, removing much of the druid's bonus health from spells. Amalius had a moment of quick thinking when he realized that most of the party was still protected against lightning magic. He charged up a lightning wave and let it rip into the room. Eathirilu got a little singed, but the rest remained immune. Invernix, having no protections, took a fair bit of damage.

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Eathirilu and Torin regained their senses and the fight continued in much the same pattern from there. Invernix would rip one of them apart each turn and Torin would do what he could to keep everyone healthy. Eathrilu and Tagenadi bit and cut at Invernix. Aldarian took to riding on Invernix's back and trying to stab downwards, but found that ineffective as well. Amalius continued his electrical blasting.
Invernix had enough of the barrage. No one had threatened his body like this in centuries. He throttled the neck of the dinosaur druid and then turned to bite the boney knight. He spit the knight out against the cave wall. With the annoying blades out of the way, Invernix was able to focus long enough to cast a heal spell on himself. The group collectively groaned. If he could heal up their damage, then they would run out of resources before he would.
Amalius taunted the dragon again, "You can't win without healing yourself? How sad."
“Eating you will be sooo satisfying."
Tagenadi rejoined the fight. He, Eathirilu, and Amalius quickly undid the work of Invernix's heal. Fearing for his life, Invernix broke for the cave exit. Eathirilu braced his huge dino legs against the cave wall and held the dragon back. The two titanic lizards twisted in the cave. Eathirilu could hold the dragon, but not for long.
Realizing that escape was his plan now, Torin erected a wall of stone blocking off the middle section of the exit so that no creature as large as Invernix could escape. Amalius followed that up by temporally accelerating himself and throwing down several electric walls.
With no way out, Invernix flew into a rage. He pinned Eathirilu with his jaws, grabbed Tagenadi with his left foreclaw and Torin with his right. Tagenadi felt his bones snapping and crunching. If he didn't escape soon he would die once more and escape was impossible against the dragon's iron grip. Torin realized the same thing and freed himself using his Cape of the Mountebank. Amalius continued with electrical attacks. Aldarian stabbed at the dragon's wings, but only created superrficial rips. Eathirilu struggled to break free using his dinosaur might, but failed.
Escape was only temporary for Torin. Invernix grabbed him once again with his right claw. Torin used a daily charge of his boots of teleportation to escape once again, but if escaping was all he could do then...
Eathirilu wrestled and momentarily gained the upper hand. He twisted around and bit into the neck of Invernix. Blood flowed freely and that was enough. So many other wounds and electrical burns covered the dragon's body. He collapsed. Eathirilu stood and roared triumphant over the body.
Amalius flew back into the cave as the others dusted themselves off. Amalius recovered the memory of where he'd hidden the key to Korm's lead box from the memory's hidden location in his psicrystal, Black. Amalius reached into his portable hole and opened the secret compartment in one of his old torches. He opened Korm's box and withdrew the dagger. Wielding the dagger he advanced on the dragon. "Let us be done with it," said Amalius.
Realizing he would soon die, Invernix whispered into Amalius' mind, “Save her."

We ended the session there! Next session coming soon!