[Alliance] Chapter Three: Session Thirty Three
Characters: Alestrasz, Arthas Menethil, Cyrus Therepentous/Cyriok, Daval Prestor, Denarendil, Elissa Cross, Gilveradin Windrunner, Kathal Lynch/Wyrmthalak, Leallyasa, Orastrasz, Remnii, Riff, Seria, Terrance Gorgonne/Teremusion, Uther Menethil, Velameestra Windrunner, Victor Prestor
Locations: Cavern of the Soul
Creatures: Dragon, Dragonspawn, Revenent
January 4th
The group settle into the sanctum to take a brief short rest and Vel also starts erecting a tiny hut to counter the arid temperatures of the environment. She glances over at Victor as the cindery wings of his fly spell start to fade.
The dryad, Leallyasa, sits neatly and starts to run a comb made of grass through her hair. Alestrasz is curled up around the corpse of Denarendil, and seems to be quite concerned.
Gil is looking at the body as well.
Leallyasa furrows her brow.
Remnii nods.
The dryad shakes her head and Remnii sighs.
She giggles.
Remnii’s tail wags a bit, but she breathes and it slows down.
Leallyasa nods.
Gil still has a baffled look.
There’s a really slow blink.
Gil blushes.
She turns to Seria.
She waves, and she seems to wash away into a green specter as she fades and disappears completely, leaving a single leaf on the grass.
Victor laughs.
Vel finishes going through her scrolls, and plucks one out.
Gil asks Alestrasz if he would be alright with that, and Alestrasz confirms, and sits nearby so he could be seen.
After the better part of an hour, Vel drops the tiny hut and casts speak with dead on the body. The eyes open, animated by the blue-green necromantic energy, and the body still has a smile.
Alestrasz perks up.
The magic starts to fade, the requisite amount of questions answered, but a part of it lingers, and it shifts to a soft green for a moment.
The magic then fades completely, leaving the druid resting peacefully against the tree.
The group does spend some time exploring the sanctum. On the elf’s hand, there is a ring that appears to be made of wood with darnassian scripture that says “Hope”. It has a reasonable amount of evocation magic coming from it. There is a sack of belongings nearby as well. Beyond mundane things, there is also a small wooden token that seems to be in the shape of a tree that has conjuration and evocation magic lingering in it. There is a small twig which seems to have conjuration magic on it. There are two corked vials of some sort of sap that have slight magical properties, and a wooden nonmagical pipe.
Seria finds things of interest to her, such as rare oils that can be used for spells like reincarnation.
And most interestingly, there is a powerful magical presence from the tree the elf is leaning against. Vel casts identify on the tree, and her magic courses up and down the bark. It’s not truly a tree, not really. A phrase comes to mind, which Vel repeats. Gil translates it as “noble blade of Elune”--though the "blade" in the phrase is more akin to mean a blade of grass instead of an actual blade.
And then, the tree shrinks before her very eyes, and it transforms into a staff that is now sticking out of the ground. It seems to be made of intertwining branches, and there is a snapdragon flower with green and yellow flowers. Denarendil’s body slowly lowers against the ground.
It’s a magical staff called a dreamer’s dragonstaff. The staff can be wielded as a magical quarter staff, and it can cast spells and also buff the attuner’s spell abilities. The spells it can cast are animal friendship, dream, nature’s curse, sleep, protection from poison, phase shift, trueseeing, and blur. Blur can be cast at will. She promptly holds it out to Seria to take.
She also examines the other objects they had gathered.
The bronzewood ring is a magic ring that wards against darkness even in the deepest night. It is imbued with the powers of hope and night. It’s a powerful magical ring. In order to attune to it, you have to be outdoors at night.
The token is a charm, which can cast a number of different spells once before it disappears.
The branch was likely created based on peculiar circumstances with the dryad, and when snapped, it could mimic one of the abilities the dryad had.
The emerald sap can be used as a reagent, and when consumed, it can restore hit points.
The wooden pipe, Alestrasz takes and folds in Denarendil’s hands.
They then leave the sanctum and are once again confronted with the lava lake.
She casts wall of force to make a path up to the cliff side, displacing the steam.
The group starts to head across the invisible bridge, and the heat is almost overwhelming even with the defenses of the wall of force. Elissa is muttering reassurances to herself, trying really hard not to look down.
Gil looks around and sees something move in the lava below. The twin fins of the magmasaur appear and then sink again.
Gil looks to the south and sees the cavern that Alestrasz had mentioned, and Alestrasz is looking at it with a degree of nervous eagerness.
Across the way, something walks out from behind the cliff overheat: a hellfire revenant. He looks down from the bridge and speaks in a raspy voice.
It stares down at the group, who continues to move.
The revenant continues to repeat the warning.
Gil points at the revenant and then back to the lava.
Vel just stares at Gil blankly.
He holds his hammer over the lava like he’s going to drop it.
And then he starts to run.
Gil reaches out and tries to reshape the flames that make up the hellfire revenant, and his movements seem to slow. Vel hurls a frostbolt at the revenent, who blocks it with his shield, and dashes after her brother before dropping out of sight so she can maintain concentration on the wall of force bridge. Uther also follows.
Victor holds a hand out, and the stone bridge under the revenant begins to crumble and collapse as he uses mold earth. The revenant plummets and splashes into the lava.
Victor cracks up and hurries to the edge of the bridge. Alestrasz also laughs as he flies after them to direct them to the hoard.
To the north, Gil notes a huge nest with massive eggs, but that’s not the way Alestrasz is leading them.
They squeeze through the narrow cavern, and Vel can hear the sound of something splashing behind them and rising out of the lava.
He starts to try and mold earth to create another blockade at the area next to the wall of force to make it harder for the revenant to follow. The revenant gets through and hits Victor with immolate, setting his clothing on fire as he flees into the cavern. The searing heat of the nearby lava is overwhelming as they pass close by.
They manage to crest the next cliff side, away from the lava, and they enter into a chamber that is the dragon’s hoard. Sitting before them is a massive pile of valuables: coins of all kinds, and in it there are scabbards of jeweled swords and immaculate cases that likely have valuables inside. It’s a truly magnificent cache.
Laying upon the hoard and curled in a tight ball is a very large red dragon. His sides are heaving with slumbering breaths.
Beyond the stalagmites there is another side cavern, and there appears to be some bones in it.
He swoops over to the slumbering dragon and pounces on his head.
The great dragon starts to stir, and he looks down at the group, and then at Alestrasz. The dragon’s pupil’s dilate and he swings his tail around, swatting Alestrasz across the cavern with a great roar.
Alestrasz strains to get up and Orastrasz rises to his feet and roars again, flames flickering in his jaws.
He runs over to Alestrasz to help him up. The young dragon is looking at his father, quite hurt. Orastrasz takes a step off his hoard, unphased. However, Gil catches something out of the corner of his eye--in the side cavern, covered in bones and refuse, is the figure of Arthas Menethil. His hammer is on the ground nearby, and his librum not far to his other side.
Gil casts healing light on Arthas upon seeing him, but he doesn’t seem to move.
Alestrasz stands back up.
As soon as he approaches, the great dragon’s tail whips out and strikes into Alestrasz again. Orastrasz shoves him aside and steps forward, his massive maw blazing with fire. Gil and Victor use absorb elements.
Remnii, Elissa, Seria, and Victor drop to the ground in the swath of fire. However, as Elissa drops, she catches herself on her knee, barely staying up. She casts mass flash of light in response, reviving her downed fellows, and she runs to Gil’s side, using her channel divinity. Minty-colored vines grow from the ground and start to ensnare Orastrasz, but he roars and shatters them away.
Victor runs up to Orastrasz, drawing his sword as he prepares to fight. Uther follows suit, but the dragon flares his wings and Elissa and Gil are knocked back. Orastrasz then takes to the sky.
Uther gets to Elissa’s side and brings her back to her feet with his lay on hands.
As the dragon swoops around, Uther catches his dilated eye, and it becomes clear that the pleas are falling on deaf ears.
Vel activates bladesong and then prepares to cast wall of force if Orastrasz makes another pass.
Remnii casts dispel magic on Orastrasz, but nothing seems to happen.
Seria, meanwhile, uses her wildshape to take the form of a dreamrunner. She then uses calm emotions, and her horn starts to glow. Orastrasz hesitates for a moment, but then he shakes it off with a roar.
Remnii also tries to cast calm emotions, but it also seems to not work. Gil casts rejuvenation on Elissa. Alestrasz also helps heal Elissa, while Elissa uses aura of vitality on herself, and then she heals Remnii.
Uther immediately starts to book it to his father. Arthas seems to be alive. His armor is damaged, but he is wearing it. The Librum of Justice and his hammer, Light’s Vengeance, are on the ground next to him. Uther grabs the Librum and opens it, and pulls out the gem Remnii made him in preparation to read it.
Victor casts earthbind to try and prevent Orastrasz from flying, and the earthen chains erupt from his arm, but unfortunately, Orastrasz is able to resist.
Orastrasz emits a withering roar, causing a stalagmite to crash into the ground. He then swoops down at Victor with his claws. At the last second, Vel triggers her wall of force, and the dragon’s claws and fangs break against it. Orastrasz roars in frustration and then soars around, seemingly not sure why his attack was deflected.
Suddenly, as Orastrasz is flying around, he lurches as if something impacted him. The dragon releases a blood curdling roar, and blood splurts into the lava below.
Gil heals Victor and moves back, still trembling from the roar.
Something else slams into Orastrasz, and more blood begins to spurt forth. Seria, as a dreamrunner, runs over to Arthas, touching her horn to him. The healing takes hold, but he is seemingly still unconscious.
Alestrasz is still trembling and confused.
Remnii casts mass cure wounds.
There are other impacts on Orastrasz, and a crossbow bolt slams into the far wall behind Gil.
There is a string of curses from Vel, and she drops the wall of force separating them from Orastrasz, and throws a second one up, protecting Orastrasz from the assailants across the way.
Meanwhile, Uther is rapidly trying to flip through the Librum, but he is unable to find an answer.
Orastrasz goes to turn on the assailants that were attacking him, and slams into the other wall of force that had been erected to protect him. He roars in frustration.
Alestrasz points up to a ledge above the hoard, and Gil uses zephyr strike and gets to the ledge. He sees what appears to some kind of necklace with a beautiful metal pendant and a golden chain.
In that moment, Orastrasz starts to fly back.
Elissa warding bonds Vel and Vel analyzes Orastrasz. Something clicks.
He uses fly, the skeletal, burning wings erupting from his back again, and starts to engage Orastrasz.
He swings into Orastrasz multiple times, grabbing onto the dragon.
Using a hail mary, Remnii uses sending to send a stream of soothing words into Orastrasz’s mind. The dragon seems to calm slightly, and he flings Victor off. Orastrasz then flies down and lands next to Remnii.
Meanwhile, Seria continues to heal Arthas, but he still seems to be unconscious.
Alestrasz flies over to Orastrasz and timidly walks forward.
Alestrasz pushes his nose forward and nuzzles Orastrasz, and Orastrasz makes a low rumble. But then something strikes into his back, and more blood pours to the ground.
Down from below, they hear Victor.
Uther continues flipping through the Librum, and he finds a passage. “Justice granted does not always feel right. In fact, sometimes feel can feel worse than any other course, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
The passage instills him with the briefest stint of energy, and it cures his fear. But the answers he is looking for may not be found in this tome.
Uther grabs Arthas’s hammer, and then he runs with all haste toward his cousin.
Gil hops down, tucking the medallion down his shirt, and hiding behind a pile of money. The mark on his chest starts to tingle. Vel erects another wall of force, trying to protect Orastrasz’s flank. Orastrasz, confused, rails against the invisible wall as he tries to get to his perceived enemies.
Remnii, continuing soothing words, heals Orastrasz. Elissa follows Remnii’s lead and also heals Orastrasz.
They can hear Daval and Victor talking in the distance.
Meanwhile, Seria uses druidcraft to make the smell of a skunk as a smellingsalt to try and wake Arthas, but it seems to have no effect.
Alestrasz hides behind his father, waiting to see what’s happening.
There is a grappling hook that flies up to the edge of the cliff, and Victor climbs up to the top. He has a furrowed brow and looks confused and angry as he glances back. A moment later, Daval Prestor follows. Orastrasz continues to rake at the wall of force.
He draws a black bolt and loads his crossbow.
Uther stands between Daval and Orastrasz.
Daval’s eyes dart over to Alestrasz.
Three other figures mount the platform. Two they don’t recognize, but the third is Kathal Lynch. Daval explains his people were planted as spies, and that the red dragons were planning on using Arthas for a ransom, and to help the horde.
Daval looks at Remnii and sighs.
Daval glances at Victor, who is cut off mid-sentence, and Victor starts to scream out in pain and drops to his knees in agony.
It’s likely the other two people are Lord Terrance Gorgonne and Cyrus Therepentous.
Gil gets on a pile of gold and lines up a shot, trying to draw on the power of the amulet he has hidden. The magic ignites, and a familiar reddish-green aura washes up and down him. Daval looks at Gil.
Gorgonne draws his rapier slowly, and then slams into Uther. One of the attacks connect, but the others are turned aside.
Victor drops prone, and the chainmail on the side of his arm starts to melt.
Orastrasz flies up and over the wall of force, and then slams into Gorgonne.
He swings back at Orastrasz. Elissa heals Uther, and then attacks Gorgonne.
Vel drops the wall of force, and then casts slow, the spectral, icy chains wrapping around Gorgonne and Therepentous.
Alestrasz nods, scared and getting ready to flee.
Daval, meanwhile, raises a hand at Orastrasz and begins to cast disintegrate. Vel slices her hand through the air, countering it.
Remnii uses mass cure wounds, healing everyone around her in an aura of holy light.
Alestrasz immediately dives into the lava lake and disappears.
Lynch runs past Uther and goes for Vel.
She swings in on Vel, and Vel is able to parry two of the strikes with her blade, but the last one slams into her knee and it buckles, bringing Vel to the ground.
Seria, meanwhile, is still by Arthas. She heals him again and screams “YOUR HIGHNESS. YA NEED TO GET UP” with her telepathy.
Daval looks at Vel, and Lynch swings in on Vel. However, Vel stays up, some of the damage siphoned to Elissa due to the warding bond.
Lynch looks up as Seria moves in.
Orastrasz whips into Gorgonne with his tail, and Therepentous runs at Remnii. However, the spectral chains are dragging him back, and while he swings at Remnii, she is able to step out of the way.
Uther then quickens a hold person, and Gorgonne’s body seizes. He slams in with his father’s hammer, holy light radiating around it. His second hit also slams into him, and he’s not looking so good.
Necromantic energy wafts around Vel’s hand as the image of a blue-green, spectral skull materializes in it. She hurls it forward and it blasts into Lynch’s chest. Energy wafts from it and up Vel’s arm, starting to knit her wounds together as she feeds off the life energy it provided. Lynch looks rather caught off guard by the magic, staggering back with a snarl.
Seria runs at Therepentous and stomps on his foot, getting a decent hit on him. Therepentous stabs into Remnii, but as Daval commends him to attack again, that strike misses.
Gorgonne continues to struggle, and then he grins. His eyes slit as he transforms into a black dragon before their eyes.
Lynch runs for Gil, shoving Vel aside. She strikes into Gil, dropping him to the ground. She reaches out to the amulet to grabs it, but it burns her and she snarls, and the death ward from the amulet flares as Gil’s eyes open.
Uther continues to swing into Teremusion, slamming into the drake’s side with his maul.
Daval steps backwards, continuing to watch as he looks down at Victor. He grins, the smile incredibly unnerving.
Elissa slams into the dragon that had just emerged, both of her attacks striking as she heals Gil, and an aura of energy of healing light also immerses the group. Gil casts zephyr strike and then starts to run towards the narrow passage they came from. The scalding heat burns him as he runs by. It’s almost overbearing, but he manages to get through.
Orastrasz swoops up and tears into the smaller black dragon that had appeared with a bellowing roar. He then flies back to block Therepentous from reaching Remnii.
The chain mail fully melts off Victor, revealing his left arm. Its now covered in thick black scales. His screaming continues, reaching a higher pitch.
Gil casts zephyr strike again and continues to run as fast as he can, disappearing through the cavern.
He disengages and takes off into the air in pursuit of the elf. And then Daval looks after Gil.
Then Victor starts to laugh, and he stands, picking up his sword. The left side of his face is now covered in scales, his left eye is orange and draconic, and his grin is lopsided and twisted.
He moves in on Uther, his blade rippling with fiery shadow.
He takes a swing at Uther, and Uther blocks. His hand starts to ripple with energy.
His hand ripples with energy as he starts to cast disintegrate, and Vel’s eyes widen and she immediately counters it. Victor glares at her.
He swings into Uther, and as he does, there is a hint of hesitation in his right eye. He swings again, however, and his blade erupts into black shadow flame. He starts to laugh.
Victor’s laughter stops for a moment.
He reaches a hand to his head, and then he swings at Elissa, who staggers backwards.
Daval steps off the ledge, out of view. As he hits the ground, they hear the earth start to quake, and the cave trembles.
Therepentous swings in on Orastrasz.
A tear starts to stream from Victor’s non-draconic eye.
Vel, in a panic, looks where her brother disappeared, then back to Uther and Victor, and then at Lynch. She grits her teeth, her grip tightening on her sword, before she looks back at Victor.
Victor bites his lip, a look of uncertainty passing his face.
Lynch tries to swing into Remnii, but the draenei is able to dance around the strikes as Orastrasz hits.
Victor drops his sword and clasps his hands to his head, continuing to struggle against whatever force had started to claim him.
Seria hears a voice in her head. It’s hard to make out. It’s a very small voice reaching out to her. It’s a voice she never heard before: “I can help!”
Orastrasz swings his tail at Lynch, but she is able to duck out of the way.
There’s another push. “It’s me.”
She’s not sure, but it seems muffled, and familiar, in a way. She retreats back to Arthas, and Therepentous strikes at her as she leaves, but he misses.
Seria untransforms and regenerates some of her health. And then something starts to shake on her back. Her egg. The tremors grow more and more violent, and she pulls it off her back and sets it on the ground. It looks like it’s going to hatch.
Orastrasz flies up and tries to take out the black dragon that is fleeing. He grabs it in his jaws, shakes him, and throws him into a wall where the drake slumps to the ground, dead. Then he goes for Victor.
He jumps over Victor’s body, and Orastrasz’s claw comes down, but he stops, and then flies at Cyrus instead.
Vel then closes in on Lynch, who was striking at Remnii, and icy energy manifests from her hand as a cone of cold flares across Lynch’s body, coating the hoard behind her in ice.
Then Riff’s egg hatches, and a magnificent rainbow serpent slithers forth.
Riff's wings turn a bright red, as does its eyes, and it casts bane on Lynch and Therepentous.
Vel continues to hone in on Lynch and casts slow on both her and Therepentous. The icy chains erupt around them both, slowing their movements.
Remnii retreats behind Vel and Orastrasz, the chains inhibiting the two enemies’ ability to attack her.
Remnii holds out a hand at Lynch.
Spurned forth by the spell cast by Remnii, running through Lynch’s mind is a 25,000 year old pain of a people.
The Alteraci knight is wincing in clear pain.
Uther drops down and pulls Victor into a hug.
Victor’s screaming stops, and his arms go limp for a moment.
Victor’s face is still partially distorted, but angry tears are streaming from both his eyes.
They stand up together.
He makes a move to go for Therepentous.
Uther continues past Vel, and Orastrasz covers him with another tail attack. He then swings into Lynch, holy energy surging through him. She doubles over. Lynch tries to swing at Uther, but she misses horribly.
Cyrus tries to attack Vel, but she is able to parry his blade aside.
Orastrasz leaps over to Lynch, lifting her up, and slamming her back down. Her body melts into her true form: a four-legged, black dragonspawn, still carrying her weapon. Wyrmthalak.
She smiles at Victor and then goes to help Uther with the newly revealed dragonspawn. She tries to ensnare her, but the dragonspawn is able to break free. Victor stands and points a finger at Therepentous.
The slow and the bane are dropped, but so is the true polymorph, revealing him as another dragonspawn: Cyriok.
Victor then closes, his blade shimmering with shadow magic. The first attack is able to be turned away, but the second attack slams into him with Victor’s full fury.
Seria continues to regenerate slowly and also heal Arthas.
Vel swings into Cyriok, her blade coating with icy rime as she drives it into the dragonspawn. She looks at Victor.
He tries to use dominate person on Victor, but Victor shakes it off with a laugh.
Uther swings into Wyrmthalak, his hammer continuing to radiate holy energy, Victor thrusts his sword into Cyriok. Fire and ice explodes as Victor severs the dragonspawn’s head from his body. He vaults over and then starts to wail on Wyrmthalak, his sword blazing with shadow flame. She’s just barely holding up.
She tries to swing around, throwing her greatsword aside and grabbing a bow that streaks with fire, but Uther and Orastrasz strike into her. Her skull is bashed into her torso with a mighty swing of Uther's hammer.
The earth is still trembling.
Now that the battle is complete, Vel looks in the direction Gil had disappeared into in clear panic.
Victor puts a hand on Uther’s shoulder.
Uther presses his forehead to Victor’s, and he smiles in return.
He heads into the cave, and Orastrasz also follows Victor into the cave. He sits next to Arthas and covers the pair of them with his wings, emitting a low growl.
He spreads his wings, and magic starts to flow around them as he starts to cast plane shift. And they are pulled through a planar rift. They travel through a darkness, and their bodies are stretched and compressed, then their eyes open to a bright red field. A blood moon glows overhead, and there are jagged peaks covered in a thick forest. The leaves are crimson, and in the far distance, there is a mountain with a great coiled creature. Bright red blood pours from it in a steady stream that glows like lava as it falls into this blood red jungle.
And despair washes over them.
The serpent floats over to Seria, and his form shifts. In a moment, he transfigures himself into a humanoid form--one of a young troll--and grabs her into a hug.
