CH 2: Lost City of the Ancients

[Breila]

"We have arrived!" Goldmoon says in awe.
Then she turns to her companions. "I do not need your help any more now. It is still time until midnight, you could go and rescue your friends if you have a plan."

She confidently steps on the obelisk and walks into the city, the blue crystal staff held out before her.

[Jenara]

Moving quietly through the swamp Laurana keeps her eye on the camp, attempting to move quietly around so she can come next to the cages. "Keep quiet Tas, lets see if we can help them."

[Talyn]

Raistlin pauses to read the inscription on the Obelisk, shaking his head after a moment. He turns to watch Goldmoon enter the city, his gaze behind the hourglass shaped eyes as unreadable as ever.

He commits the words to memory with a moment before he follows the Tribal Princess into the ruined city.

[Jerrard]

Shooting a glance to the camp Sturm looks to the Ancient city, where were they suppposed to go?
"And where would your godess suggest we go now?" He frowns, he was not happy leaving Tanis behind, part of him wanted to go and protect them.. but this woman needed protection.

[JadedDM]

Tas obeys Laurana by being perfectly quiet. In fact, a little too quiet. Looking to check on the kender, she discovers why. He's gone. A quick look around, and she discovers him quietly sneaking over to the dragon, easily slipping by the draconian guards with the ease of a phantom.

It looks like Laurana is now on her own.

Goldmoon, Riverwind at her side, crosses the fallen obelisk. Raistlin, and presumably Caramon, follow, leaving Sturm to wonder which way to go.

Emerging from the dense jungle, a broad cobblestone street runs south and north among the ruins. A roadway branches to the west. Here, the fluted columns and relief carvings of buildings sag wearily. A large cobblestone courtyard lies to the east amid crumbling buildings.

Beyond the courtyard are four tall free-standing columns: no trace remains of the building they once supported. In front of these pillars, a huge well plunges into the earth. Vapors rise from the well. To the north of the well, a single building stands whole, although time and the weather have worn its outer walls.

[Breila]

Goldmoon crosses slowly over to the well. Are the vapors simple water vapors, or do they have a smell that suggests it is something else? Goldmoon just takes a sniff and then retreats, towards the still standing building. The vapors could be poisonous, after all.

[Jenara]

Cursing the Kender Laurana moves round the camp, hoping to get to the Tanis and Flint without being noticed. She will watch the dragon, just in case.

"What are you doing here?" She thinks as she approaches the cage.

[Jerrard]

Seeing the others leave Sturm makes a snap choice, Tanis and Flint needed him, plus he wouldnt be suprised if the Elf had already been captured.

Keeping Brightblade at the ready Sturm moves rather noisily around the camp to the cages if he can.

[JadedDM]

(OOC: Whew! And here I thought you guys learned your lesson about splitting the party in Pod-Caverns. Well, here goes.)

A dark and terrible stillness lies around the well. When Goldmoon gazes down it, she sees nothing but vast blackness. Rushing air, dead cold, swells from below. The wind sweeps dirt and leaves from the courtyard into the air, stinging her face and eyes.

"Goldmoon..," Riverwind says, frozen in place. Memories begin to flood back to him. "Goldmoon!" He stops in mid-stride as a high-pitched shriek rises from the depths of the well. The sound is so loud and shrill that it pierces the head.

Pure, fear begins to pour out of the well. The ground begins to shake at their feet. The high-pitched shrieking noise, the throbbing and trembling of the ground, brings back hideous, nightmarish memories to the ranger. "Death on black wings," he gasps.

Then the horror bursts from the well, the horror of his fevered nightmares. It was a dragon.



Sleek and black, the dragon rises, her glistening wings folded close to her sides, her scales gleaming. Her eyes glowed red-black, the color of molten rock. Her mouth opens in a snarl, teeth flashing white and wicked. Her long, red tongue curls as she breathes the cool air. Clear of the well's confines, the dragon spreads her wings, blotting out the sun. Each wing is tipped with a pure, white claw.

Fear such as none of them have ever imagined shrivel in their stomachs. Their hearts throb painfully; it's difficult to breathe. The dragon, beautiful as the night, circles higher and higher into the sky. Then, just as the paralyzing fear starts to recede, the dragon speaks.

One word she says--a word in the language of magic--and a thick, terrible darkness falls from the sky, blinding them all.

===========================

The dragon casts Darkness on the area.
Goldmoon saves vs dragon fear (1d20): 11, fail. Goldmoon suffers a -2 penalty to hit and damage.
Riverwind saves vs dragon fear (1d20): 13, pass.
Caramon saves vs dragon fear (1d20): 17, pass.
Raistlin saves vs dragon fear (1d20+3): 5, fail. Raistlin suffers a -2 penalty to hit and damage.

(Note that in magical darkness, attacks, saving throws, and armor class all suffer a -4 penalty. Movement is reduced to 1/3 normal, unless a DEX check is made.)

[JadedDM]

Laurana circles around the camp, trying to get closer to the cages. She overhears two draconians talking along the way in Common.

"Where are the Bozaks who brought them in?" one asks.

"They went back to the city to report to Onyx," the other replies.

There is currently only one guard at the bamboo cage, as the other draconians are going about their business.

Tas, meanwhile, approaches the perfectly still dragon in awe. But upon closer examination, he is greatly disappointed. The dragon is a fake. It is woven of vines and branches and wicker. But the sharp-eyed kender notices an opening in the figure at the base between its legs. He climbs inside, without a second thought. Inside he finds that the main braces for the wings are tied together just below the dragon's mouth. The mouth itself forms a funnel.

The kender grins mischievously. This was going to be fun.

Meanwhile, Sturm starts to head back to find the others. Although he is close enough to hear the real dragon shrieking and if he looks back, he'll see the entire courtyard flooded with unnatural darkness.

[Jenara]

(OOC: Can Laurana make it to the cage without being noticed?)

[JadedDM]

(OOC: Yes, on a roll of 7 or lower on a 1d10. Basically, a modified surprise roll.)

[Jenara]

Laurana sneaks up to the cage quietly, keeping her sword drawn, hoping to avoid the creatures gaze.

(1d10=1 Pass)

(ooc: in case you were wondering, there are some dice rolls on IC I rolled, thinking of attacking, but i changed my mind before committing to them)

[JadedDM]

Laurana easily sneaks up to the cage without the guard, or for that matter, anyone else noticing. Even Tas would be impressed by how quiet she can be, when she really sets her mind to it.

Tanis and Flint sit inside the bamboo cage, their gear missing. Flint glares darkly at their guard, while Tanis watches the campsite closely, no doubt trying to learn as much as possible from observing and listening to his captors as possible.

[Jenara]

"Tanthalas." She whispers in Elven, "I am here to save you." She announces proudly, keeping an eye on the creature, she looks to see if she could cut the door open with a dagger.