Session 33: Avalan, Tanyth 7th

Lennie delivered the finishing blow on Ugoa, with a well-placed Toll the Dead.

Once Ugoa had fallen, the party began to hear burrowing sounds coming from around Ugoa’s corpse, and five dragon wyrmlings popped out of the ground in multiple places. At first they will looked like white dragon wyrmlings (with some gray and translucent patches). They ran excitedly towards Ugoa and the party members (some party members noticed these wyrmlings looked different from the ones they saw outside, and that they seemed happy to see Ugoa dead, and to meet the party). Eventually, an adult dragon’s head popped out from the ground and said “whooooah”, and with a very positive, happy-go-lucky attitude, greeted the party (her name is Novasset, the Calm). Novasset explained that she had taken residence here some time after the dwarves had all died out, but she comes from a long line of dragons that lived in this mountain, and even aided the dwarves at some point. She was also trying to escape the corruption and keep the curse in this place from spreading and causing this place to become even more foul. But then Ugoa the White moved in and Novasset was outmatched. Being pinched between the cruel Ugoa, and the outside with corruption and other chromatic dragons, she has been trapped inside the mountain for centuries.

Novasset told the players that gem dragons have been pretty much eradicated from this world because of the corruption. The lack of balance and corruption affects them more than anyone else. She’s not aware whether other gem dragons remain, as she’s been trapped within the mountains out of fear of going out there and getting caught in the corruption. She already lost two of her offspring to it. 

The two dragon statues at the front gate were once her children that got caught in the corruption and turned into ordinary stone. The drow then brought them to Ugoa, who was happy to display them as a form of mockery. The drow earned Ugoa’s favor that way, and she helped them in a recent attack in return. The drow also placed enchanted gems on the statues that would serve as an alarm against intruders and wake the undead around the keep.

The party helped her by removing the “statues” from atop the wall, so that a proper burial could be arranged eventually.

Novasset offered the party to help “spruce the place up” if they let her stay in the cave. Resting near a crystal dragon’s lair is like nothing else, she promised. She has no interest in the hoard itself, but would love to see her crystal collection grow. She also loves animals and told the players that animals have a great affinity with her, and will thrive here if she stays. She also can keep the skies clear, now that Ugoa is gone.

Party went outside to see the after effects of the battle. There were some losses (there was a second wave of undead coming from the temple’s graveyard):

-     Monks: Oak, Birch

-     Bahamut Brigade: 2 deaths

-     Vampires: 6 deaths

-     Thieves: 3 deaths

-     Pterosaurs: Darkness, Chicken Wing, Druz’ya

The party paid their respects to the fallen, and Lennie started to melt off ice from temple alongside Garth. Garth was impressed with her power.

The rest of the party went back inside to check the hoard and the cave. At some point Ariadne retrieved Garth to join them and introduce him to Novasset. Both dragons were surprised and happy to see non-chromatic survivors.

The party found, among the treasures, a large vault door encased in ice. Upon removing the ice, they saw numerous symbols they didn’t recognize etched around a dial on the door (in dwarvish). The party asked for Novasset’s help to translate the dwarvish symbols.

• The corpse (skeleton) of a dwarf, wearing a thick, heavy golden crown, as well as clothes that look like they were once very fine and intricate. On his neck, hangs a star-shaped amulet with a large, blue glowing crystal (zafrine), any arcane casters will hear their voices whispering back to them. The crown has a sentence etched (in dwarven) on the back. It says: “may the Wind be at your Back, and your Pickaxe in your Hand”. (The combination W-B-P-H opens the large locked door that allows access from the cave to the castle dungeons).

Upon opening the door and cracking it open a little, the party heard and saw some undead inside what looks to be a long hallway with a few doors along it.

Armando read the book on harvesting creatures. Kalim spent time inspecting the magical items at the hoard: a carpet of flying, a portable hole, a figurine of wondrous power (family of goats), and a sapphire buckler. Additionally, there were two spell scrolls: Heroes’ Feast and Etherealness. They also found a potion, however Kalim hasn’t identified it yet.

The party took a long rest. Ariadne took "souvenirs" from the dragon hoard.