Week 45 - Say, do you smell Limburger? ; or: Lazaroo phones a friend; or: Screechy goes the three-quarter facelock; or simply: Flash. Dragonslayer.
Well, a lot happened this week, really. Three encounters, as opposed to our usual two. Actually, it’s not always that slow, but as usual between modules the first half of the session was shopping and working with Mend the Cheesemonger. Owing to a strange rip in the space-time continuum, Gauthakan’s counterpart in the parallel universe - Harmony the Monk - subbed in for him, while he was off doing other XP-earning stuff.
For the other DMs out there: I’m finding this module difficult in that this part of it is actually an urban adventure, so you have to think on your feet a little more than with a dungeon. The module simply says “there’s a guardpost there” without maps or anything, and it doesn’t really spell out what the NPCs do. Ideally I’d like “if A happens, then the npc does A1” and so on. What you get is “These guys are allied with those guys”. Oh well, it just means you have t do a little storytelling.
The other issue is that the boys are tossing ninth-level spell around now, and it can be a little difficult to keep on top of. But that’s high-level 3.5 for you. Suck it up, DM.
The largest and deepest canyon in Khorvaire, the Goradra Gap extends into the depths of Khyber itself. Legends speak of vast monsters and other beasts lurking within the gap, and of a hidden kingdom that can only be reached from the depths of Goradra.
An arid wasteland broken only by the occasional rock formation or copse of scrub oaks stretches to the horizon in all directions save one. In this direction, the land drops away into the immense gulf of the Rift Canyon. It stretches as far as the eye can see to the east and west, a boggling gash in the face of the world. The wind blowing over the strange rock formations perched on the canyon’s lips makes a hollow moaning sound.
One hundred feet below the top of the cliff, an immense ruined city of stone lies nestled in a wide, open cavern. Hundreds of multi-leveled buildings and towers rise inside this cavern, creating a vertical cityscape of spires, battlements, and stone bridges. Spires of rock protruding precariously from the cliff’s lower face rise up before the cityscape. Some of these spires are barren, capped only by the odd bush or rock formation, but two support large castles of their own, and connect to the main city via slender bridges of stone. Smoke rises from several parts of the ruined city, and many of the buildings are recently damaged or destroyed. The source of this damage is readily apparent, for the city of Kongen-Thulnir is under siege by dragons.
As they approach, they can see what transpires in a little more detail. The gap extends downward into the earth, its depths concealed by a cloudbank and sheer distance. Built into the wall a a short distance below the lip is a fortified city carved out of the rock and built on gigantic scale. The dragons are besieging that town. A little closer and - no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you - it’s peopled and defended by giants operating giant-sized ballistae and catapults.
There are a set of giant-sized steps cut into the cliff, leading down to the city. The party pause at the top debating what to do. They send Elvis in, but he does not notice anything in particular beyond what the party has already noted.
Necrozyte, disgraced servitor of Tiamat herself circles above and notes that that hunting pack of wolves below are acting oddly. But deep down, she wants to believe that they are simply wolves (she’s had a bad day, she’s distracted) and so accepts the truth that Flash’s illusion offers her. Frith spots her, high above, but she flies off and nothing comes of it.
I would have liked a little more colour text in the Eberron conversion notes for the individual named dragons in this module. I don’t know if there is a Tiamat in Eberron. Ideally there’s be some fluff text about her tracing their lineage back to Khyber, or something.
After this, however, the party decide to get a move on. Shadow walking is to imprecise, wind-walking leaves them horribly vulnerable if they are spotted, they can’t see the end of the path to teleport, so their best option seems to be just to negotiate the stairs. About halfway down, Necrozyte returns do see a hunting pack of wolves purposefully making their way down a set of giant stairs into a war zone. This time she shakes off her distraction and sees the party for what it is. The party spot a huge green dragon, circling above, casting buffs (although she is 100ft up, so they can’t make out exactly what). They start casting Protection from Acid all around.
Lazaroo pulls out a scroll, for which he paid a lot of gold. Gate. With apologies to Christopher Palloni, he calls Brisingr - Ancient Bronze Dragon and by repute always ready for a fight in a good cause. Brisingr is not terribly pleased at being gated in at the whim of a human(oid?), and Lazaroo flubs his rushed diplomacy check. With each second vital, Flash steps in: “Honoured-and-Mighty Brisingr - we beg your forgiveness but we are sore pressed by her”. Brisingr looks up and his expression turns flinty. “Necrozyte!” and without further ado he takes to the air.
Necrozyte has finished her buffs. She orders three younger black dragons to deal with the party, and dives on Brisingr. As she passes the party, she uses a quickened dragon breath to bathe them in acid. Then Brisingr dives at her, and the two spiral out of sight.
Frith or Mend cast Blade Barrier to protect the path. The three dragons respond by flying along the length of it, breathing their acid breath through it. Then it’s ranged spell time. Frith or Mend does another Blade Barrier in mid-air, a line of clashing blades passing through all three dragons. One of them, already damaged from another spell, falls. The other two move back a little further. Eventually one manages to get another spitball ready, and heads towards the party. But Flash catches him with a Power Word Stun and he smacks headlong into the cliff and then tumbles down its face in Homer-esque fashion. The third black dragon chooses the better part of valour and leaves.
After a minute or so, Brisingr returns - scorched with acid along the length of him, but with an unmistakable air of triumph. He adresses Lazaroo.
What’s a DM to do? How do you allow players to use Gate, without having the characters gate in an army and go home, leaving them to do the work? Let’s just all gate in a few demigods, explain the Age of Worms to them, and go home and find something else to do on a Friday, eh?
Ahh - maybe it’s not that bad, now that I’ve had time to read the spell. I just overreacted on the night because Steve sprang it on me.
In all fairness: Gate is a PHB spell which does permit a 15th-level caster to gate in an old Bronze dragon and command it to fight for one battle or do another task liable to take about a minute and a half. Furthermore, Bronze Dragons are straight out of the Monster Manual and they specifically like a fight. Gating in a Bronze Dragon and having it fight another dragon for you is 100% core and a legitimate way to play a high-level caster. An objection is that dragons are not extraplanar, but on Eberron they probably are: hanging out in Thelanis or something. There’s also campaign reasons for dragons not taking an active part in these events … but being gated in by one of the heroes of prophecy probably allows one to bend the rules a bit.
So I hereby re-think my hasty on-the-spot decision to nerf Gate. I should have conferred with each player each time they leveled up their characters so at to be able to run the game more smoothly. Live and Learn.
However: Steve claims that he simply bought the scroll and did not pay the XP cost. The XP cost is there for a reason. As I have stated on several occasions, anything beyond medium magic items are not for sale on Eberron. That includes scrolls containing ninth level spells with an XP cost. That’s exactly why Dave went to so much trouble to build an artificer. You want a scroll of Gate, then scribe it yourself or have Mend do it. Unless Mend did do it, I suppose.
So, what happened on the night didn’t actually happen. This is what actually happened:
A good fight. Your summons caught me by surprise, but I knew Necrozyte of old. For ages I have not been able to deal with her myself, as she has hid in the shadow of Tiamat. Her recent disgrace and banishment come at a convenient time.
Now. As to you, little wizard:
Our prophecies are difficult, and the wiser of us choose not to take a hand in them. Many dragons have sought to bend the prophecies to their own purposes - Dragotha among them (yes, of course I know Dragotha) - and most have met unpleasant ends of one sort or another. But to come in response to a summons from one of the heroes of prophecy (yes, of course the prophecies mention you) - that, I think, can be done without excessive disturbance to the weave.
Do not presume too much, but if you call me again, then I will come.
That’s assuming that Brisingr is level-appropriate for Lazaroo - ancient bronze dragons are 33HD, which falls within the 17 * 2 = 34 limit. Technically, Lazaroo can force him to serve and at 20th level will be able to command a Great Wyrm … .
And with that, Brisingr Plane Shifts out.
Such is Flash’s amazing gift of the gab, that the giants are prepared to listen. “Who you?”. Flash casts a stilled, silenced Glibness and, with utter conviction and sincerity, says “Me name Flash-who-is-dragon-killer!”
Well! This causes some comment. With a little more breathing room for flattery, Flash persuades the giants to become helpful. It turns out that as well as a seige by dragons, Kongen-Thilnir is in the middle of a civil war. The king is old and dying, and these giants are loyalists. The rival faction lives in the undercity. These giants have lost their commander to a huge green dragon - pobably Necrozyte - and have holed up in this tower. But if Flash-who-is-dragon-killer will escort them, they will strike out for the palace, clear at the other side of the city.
Oh. One other thing. Both Flash and Mend note that the entire city has some sort of enchantment on it. It’s subtle, very faint, and it’s difficult to tell exactly what it does to those in its area of effect. Probably with a little more time, they will be able to tell.
Two other things, in fact. The city is strung with chains across the cavern into which it is built, carefully painted to be difficult to see from outside (although they are perfectly obvious from inside). And most of the ballistae and other fortifications point outward into thin air. These fortifications are old, although kept in good order. In other words: this place was built to withstand a siege from the air. A siege by dragons.
Screechy the owlbear is an awakened animal, with 8 levels of Barbarian.
Meanwhile, Lazaroo casts Shapechange, off another scroll. He changes into an earth elemental and glides through the ground, emerging next to where screechy has pinned the dragon. He then changes into a Marilith and begins attacking with six fists.
Meanwhile, Mend advances forward to where the other two dragons are, and casts a bag of Dust of Sneezing and Choking into the air. The dragons are helpless, while he and the warforged Monk - Harmony - are unaffected.
The third dragon is almost dead from Screechy’s and Lazaroo’s attacks. Flash pulls out a wand of Magic Missile and does 14 points of damage, killing it. The giants emerge from their hiding places. “Hooray for Flash! Flash-who-is-dragon-killer!”. Then all twelve of them get to stomping the other two dragons, helpless with sneezing and choking.
Hooray for Flash, indeed. A very, very fine kill-steal. But, they are not halfway across the war-zone yet. Where’s the phylactery, do you suppose? Could be anywhere. Next week - more fun.