43. April 15, 2018

Combat Against the White Dragon

The white dragon dives at us. Illial and Odette team up to shoot a crossbow bolt with a spell of darkness on it. The bolt lodges into the dragon and shrouds the dragon (it's only 14-feet long) in darkness. We can't see it, and it can't see us (or the ground, or the glacier), so it hovers. The dragon continues to attack blindly with clouds of ice and shards of frost that kills or renders nearly dead anyone caught in the blast, including Bel.

Illial casts a spell to enlarge Jessa so she's 9-feet tall and stronger. Ghard gives her a boost to launch into the air and leap onto the dragon, where Jessa grapples its wings and forces it to land. Illial drops the darkness and everyone attacks. Recognizing the dragon is a spellcaster, Ghard uses his Bane Rapier to amazing effect against it. Jessa continues to pin it to let the mob attack. Ghard executes a coup de grace, cleanly severing its spine and killing it.

The Monstrous Mind Controller

Illial's little dragon familiar, Aeilan, said that as the dragon died, it could tell what was controlling it. Aeilan said the controlling mind is calling all the monsters, all the creatures, to it, it's planning something. The mind is in the south, somewhere south. The Giants went as far north as they could to try to escape the call, and are always drumming to try to drown it out.

We speculate that it must be Bal-Tor-Kaliaa, under the depths of the Heart Lake, calling monstrous races to it. And if any fail the call to resist, they try to fulfill Bal-Tor-Kaliaa's will. And Bal-Tor-Kaliaa's will was to try to exterminate the Thelduin. And we recall that Odette was being attacked by weird creatures while Odette was possessed by Illial.

The Prophecy, and Druij's Interpretation about The Crown

Auindwin is the divine mountain on which the double-headed eagle, which is a divine being, lives. The people's crown is the translation of Auindwin. It's more of an informal term, “people's” meaning familial. Druij says that as time wore on, they stopped calling Auindwin by that name, and started calling it the crown. Druij thinks that because somehow, we've woken a Thelduin, and there's a prophecy surrounding us that said “the blood of your daughters will ensure your crown.” Druij says, what if the crown in the prophecy is the Auindwin, the crown, the source of all ancient magics?

The theory is that if Auindwin is part of Ærden again, that through continuing to worship the double-headed eagle, the magic will start to flow back into their lands, and the Ærden will be able to meet their goals, which are to regain autonomy. They plan to free their Thelduin allies (which we agree with) and assassinate the current Emperor (which we don't agree with; neither does Druij, actually, but that's what his bosses want).

Druij offers a reward to us if we will help reawaken his god. He offers Bracers of Armor +3 to Jessa, which are a family heirloom passed down from his grandfather, and an Ioun Stone (+2 CON) to Ghard.

The Sisters Augment Each Other's Strengths

Jessa speaks to Aoife...they have some revelations. Aoife realizes that when her own full sister Aishling is with her, that Aoife can melt the glacier more easily with her talent. When next to Bel, Jessa, and also Illial, Aoife's full body can glow with heat. We think back, and realize that Vethandra's abilities were greater.

Aoife says that when young, she recalls that her sister Aishling was quiet and didn't like to be around people. It was because of her abilities, she would get sucked into the thoughts of others. When asleep, she could get into other's dreams. She liked coming to the glacier because something here quieted her. Quail eggs also quieted Aishling, so the chefs would make them.

The Sleeper

Aoife has four druids fly to retrieve her sister to the glacier; they return about midnight. She wakes us, brings us together, and we all decide to try to reach Aishling in her dreams. Ghard guards us. We are sucked into Aishling's dream. There's a dark stone structure...and a basin in it, filled with inky black liquid that is rippling as if from wind. There are columns that have fallen over and ceiling has fallen in places. There's more liquid above, but being kept away by an invisible barrier on the ceiling. We see Aishling asleep on the alter. And there's a fog over her, just her.

Jessa thinks hard and summons BCM (necklace of light) and it appears on her hand in the dream. It works, the light brightens and seems to push away the fog. But more inky-dark fog rises up from by the wall, and more fog envelops Aishling. It rolls toward us, but it's as if there's an invisible barrier around us to protect us from it. Bel prays, to Beseth, and a hearthfire (that smells like delicious, comforting baking) drops in. Illial summons Daylight. Aoife summons heat. All of these combine to push back the fog, but still Aishling sleeps in fog. We circle her, join hands, and slowly move in and all touch her.

We all wake. Aishling starts babbling to her sister in Ærdenish. Illial eavesdrops via IcyPop (nickname for her tiny dragon), who says they are just catching up, and Aishling eventually calms down. IcyPop has one interesting tidbid: Aishling talks about a man dressed in feathers, a bird man, who was trying to get through to Aishling while she was being suppressed by darkness.

In the morning, several druids show up, and the Healing Woman. Aishling keeps whispering to Aoife, while listening to everyone. IcyPop tells Illial that he only gets about every third sound that Aishling is saying, about 2/3 of the sense is missing. He said that it's weird trying to listen to Aishling, it's like there's nothing there part of the time. We think that Aishling seems to be in a fuzzy state. But when Ghard comes into the room, she suddenly stops and stares at his feet with her full attention. IcyPop says that as soon as Ghard enters the tent, that suddenly he is unable to hear either Aishling's or Aoife's thoughts, both are blank to IcyPop. Aoife keeps trying to comfort her sister. IcyPop says that when Jessa says “well, goodbye,” that suddenly it seems that Aishling is telepathically communicating with her Aoife and IcyPop can't hear her at all. (IcyPop thinks it's creepy. He decides to stop trying to reading her thoughts.) Then Aoife says “we're both coming to the mountain with you.”

To the Mountain!

The party includes us four, Druij, Aoife and Aishling, Odette.