Wednesday 7 August 2013

AI - Chapter Three - Swords and Fire

The letter was addressed to the "Captain of the Elder Break, Lothari Duskend" and bore the same terrible insignia of a dragon's skull with fire burning behind it.  The message was written in Draconic, a language in which Alera was fluent, and broken into two parts.

The first part was a mission to take the townsfolk of Illiad as slaves.  A mission that was now thwarted, save for the large group that was directed off into the forest.  The other half of the message was a direction to hold the town as long as it took while the band's best pirates, and Ranger were to head off into the forest in search of something, and the pirates were not to return until they had it, whatever it was.  

The group also found a strange map that had an island drawn on that wasn't on any other map they had ever seen, and if ever there was a sign that pointed to this Dread Lord Oman, this was surely it.  However, there was still the problem of the pirates in the jungle, and the object of Oman's mission.  

It was at this point, they heard the sound of a creature swimming towards the ship.  It was their Dwarven ally Durgan, who had come to join them in their battles with Oman's forces!  After taking some time to regroup, the party returned to the main land, and set up a defensive position in the town, waiting for the ruse they pulled on their foes to be realized.

Eventually two smaller figures emerged from the jungle, a goblin and a kobold.  After killing the goblin quickly, they took the kobold prisoner, and attempted to coerce information about Oman out of him.  Whenever he was openly asked about Oman, he would give the same reply: 

"Dread Lord Oman, Commander of the Gantrithor,
the Ship Eater. 
He will boil the seas, sink civilizations and 
devour nations!"

Every question was met with that answer, and when the group was tired of hearing it they threatened the creature with it's life. Upon realizing he was going to die if he didn't co-operate, the kobold appeared as if he was going to give them an answer, which triggered something truly horrifying.  

The creature's tongue fell out, the creature panicked, and the group decided to promptly put the creature put out of its misery.  

Our heroes then set off in search of the remaining pirates.  After a brief 20 minute march, they heard voices.  When they realized they had found the remaining pirates, our heroes rushed in to meet them!  A brief battle ensued, and our heroes emerged victorious.  

Among the various things they looted, one was a map with an X on it.  Some of the larger pirates had been looking over it when they first came upon them, and the group decided that if the pirates thought it important, they should probably investigate it.

After following the map, they came to the entrance of a darkened cave, whose surrounding area was full of charred trees, scorched bushes and grass.  Durgan went ahead into the cave, but his footsteps alerted what was waiting within.  A giant wave of fire came spewing out from an opening in the cave's side, and from the darkness, out stepped a Wyrmling Red Dragon.  

The group hardened themselves in preparation for the fight.  Despite the dragon's size and young age, the group knew that Dragons were not to be taken lightly.  Luckily they had a numbers advantage, and after a hectic fight, the dragon was defeated.

Much treasure was found in it's den, as Red Dragons are especially known for their greed and desire for wealth.  Among the gold however, lied the body of Oman's elite ranger, and a lone Red Dragon egg, sitting amongst a clutch of broken ones.

Was this what Oman was looking for?

To Be Continued...

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