Summary after the break.
Day 3 – Dwarf Fighter, Calyx Yolo Mar; Half-Elf Ranger, Blarrrfingarrr Hamneras; Half-Elf Warlord, Leyf Hamneras; Human Wizard, Amarouq; Naturechild (Shifter) Paladin, Dorito
Raven Squadron is back in the secret alcove of the Pimp-cult. The resulting fight leaves all the pimps slaughtered, the priest dead in the water, and the whore unrescued. The Black Dragon, because it was falsely bound to a poison crystal instead of an acid crystal, disappears back through the portal-thing in a blast of light. Amarouq grabs the crystal and the magic dagger, hoping that even though they can’t use it, they’ll still be able to sell it later on.
The crew travels back to Didax, and is greeted by Viceroy Valman and his retinue of personal and city guards. Captain Swagg is also there. Speaking in a half-Russian-half-Scottish accent, he requests the crystal and explains to the party that there were nine crystals of protection that guarded this country in days of old. 3, now 4, have been recovered. Two more are known to be lost in the Lekkan Mountain Range, the others’ whereabouts are unknown. Other information is divulged, and Captain Swagg inquires as to their next intended destination so that he can prepare a carriage for their transport.
After the Viceroy leaves, they go and sell the magic dagger and go towards the theater in the Recreational District. The place is empty, and the props are unvaluable, but Blarrrfingarrr finds a nest of squirrels, grabs one, and kills another. The rest flee. They then take it to the local animal emporium and get the elderly Eladrin owner to train the squirrel for 15gp over 4 days. After the 4 days, they take the squirrel and take a cart to Pontifex, to the north. There they sell some stuff and buy four horses. They make Dorito walk.
Arriving in Lek, they discern that two dragons inhabit the mountains: a black dragon in the caverns, and a white dragon at the highest peak. Calyx remembers that the Dwarves had a network of tunnels and even some chambers down there, but a great evil invaded the place and drove the Dwarves out. The Dwarves made one last stand, led by Calyx’s ancestor, but failed. The survivors constructed a magic door to prevent people from wandering in. They find the door, carved out of the side of the mountain, and start to break it down. Runes etched into it’s surface zap the attackers with every blow, but they manage to crack an opening. They climb through the crevice and turn the corner, running into some Kobolds. As we’re still working out the appropriate fundamentals of Magic Missile, the current format suggests that no rolling is needed. However, this means minions go down all too easily. Regardless, we stick with it for now, and through the next 5 chambers our team battles Kobolds, Scorpions, Rats, and Kruthiks. At some point, Calyx and Amarouq have to leave, so the other three continue through the chamber chain until they get to a hallway. They turn right twice and end up in a room guarded by Kobolds, behind which lies a treasure chest. They casually talk to the Kobolds so as to catch them by surprise when they attack, and slay them all. Inside the chest is a Bag of Holding, +1 Dwarven Scale Armor, and Hedge Wizard’s Gloves. Leyf gets the bag, Dorito gets the Scale, and Blarrrfingarrr gets the gloves. Dorito goes back and gets the other two, having cleared the way, and they rest in the room.
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Day 4 – Calyx, Amarouq, Leyf
We’ve decided to let the other two fade into the background. The three present awaken in the room, Amarouqs Light cantrip still active. Otherwise, the caverns would have been quite dark. They exit the room and turn right and left, wandering down a hallway. It continues for a ways and then turns left, just after a doorway on the left as well. They enter the doorway, and are confronted with a group of Kobolds and a Cave Troll. The Kobolds go down relatively quickly, but the Troll rolls two criticals, pretty much killing Calyx. Luckily, Leyf has a revival Daily that saves Calyx. Triumphing over the troll through a combination of coordinated attacks and the infamous Magic Missile, they take the weapons (to be sold later) and exit the room through a door to the right. They are in a hallway again, and decide to head towards the left and enter what appears to be a vastly long room. Amarouq’s light does not nearly extend down the length of it. Perception notices the walls are exceptionally smooth, but shouting yields no ill effect. The tide turns, however, when Calyx tosses a pebble into the room. A loud grinding and clanking of gears is heard, and the walls start moving in. They keep running and running, eventually being forced into single file. Just as Calyx slips into the 5-foot-wide zone at the end of the hallway, the walls seal shut.
Doors lie to either side. Without time to recoup, a hissing noise is heard. A natural 20 on Perception lets Amarouq notice vents pouring sand into the room from above, and doors closing on either side. Calyx shouts with conviction to head left – ALWAYS head left – and they slip under the door just as it slams down. Amarouq rekindles his Light, and a small but densely-packed room confronts them. The floor is littered with gold, and three chests lie on the ground. Amarouq opens one to find 4 turquoise gemstones (400 gp) and a silver cutlery set, emblazoned with Draconic figurines (200 gp). Calyx finds 8 1oz bottles of rare perfumes (40 gp) and +1 Fortification Scale Armor. Leyf nabs 20 silver bars (100 gp) and a +1 Sunpick, which can emanate any level of light up to 100 feet. Behind the heaps of wealth is a pedestal in a pool of water, upon which a small Lime-colored crystal rests. Amarouq figures this is the Acid crystal, and tries his best to remove it Indiana-Jones-style. Unfortunately, he fails, and the ceiling starts to cave in. They duck into a maintenance shaft just as rocks bury the opening. Right around here, we level up Calyx and Amarouq, Leyf already having done so.
Calyx, who preemptively climbed into the shaft, hears heavy breathing on the other side of a large stone blocking the way. He pushes it somewhat unsubtly to the floor, and they climb out. Amarouq dims his light so as not to wake the black dragon. Leyf and Amarouq sneak around the dragon to the door on the other side, singing a Draconic lullaby. Calyx’s armor is just too noisy to move. When they get to the door, they – surprise surprise – wake the dragon up. The beast stretches, and they start talking in Draconic. Calyx, the only one not to speak Draconic, doesn’t understand at all. Amarouq Bluffs that he controls the dragon because of his possession of the Acid crystal, and tries to Intimidate him. Dragons, being incredibly vain creatures, are immune to attempts of Intimidation. The dragon shoots a burst of Acid at Amarouq, but the crystal absorbs the energy. The dragon regards Amarouq as a near-equal, but he asks whether he can eat the sumptious mouth-breather (Calyx). Amarouq says no, although Calyx looks itching for a fight. The dragon, who reveals his name to be Zothak, asks where Amarouq got the crystal, because it looks familiar. Amarouq Bluffs again and says he just found it, most certainly not from Zothak’s Treasure room, most certainly not triggering that loud rumbling noise a few minutes ago. Additionally, Zothak recognizes them as the guys who released him from the Pimp-cult — yes, it was the same dragon after all. Amarouq continues to talk, and discovers that Zothak has the hots for a smexy white dragon up the mountain, and agrees to help Zothak win her over in what ways he can. Zothak tells them to meet him at the exit of the caverns, refusing to carry them out through the opening 30 feet up. He also gives them a password to go by the Kobold guards in the anteroom without a fight, but the crew chooses to slaughter them anyway. Zothak jokingly offers them to become his new bodyguards, but after weighing the pros and cons, decide to stay cops.
They exit the anteroom and go down the hall, finding a storeroom. Calyx opens a large barrel to reveal a nasty scorpion, Amarouq finds a snake, and Leyf preemptively strikes a barrel, hearing the shriek of a rat while blood oozes from cracks near the base. Not getting XP for the mouse-in-a-barrel maneuver, Leyf finds another chest and kills the spider within it. Besides the vermin, they eat some apples and bread, Calyx grabs a tankard of mead and Amarouq finds 20 gp. Leyf manages a +1 Healer’s Brooch.
Leaving through the final hallway door, they are confronted with the twin brother of the Bridge of Khazad-Dum. Orc archers continuously shoot at them from a high ledge, unreachable by any attacks, and two Ork Beserkers storm across the narrow bridge. Amarouq with his new Jump Utility Power leaps over everyone and uses Thunderwave on the Orcs from behind, knocking one off and into the pit. The other orc manages to cling on, but is easily slain by Leyf and Amarouq. Calyx, the slowest of the bunch, takes the longest to exit the area and sustains many arrow wounds.
The aperture at the other end of the bridge leads to a long tunnel and a ladder to another tunnel some 20 feet up. They choose to climb up. At the end of that tunnel, they find themselves on a balcony overlooking a large room with seven Orcs gathered round a campfire, eating man-flesh. The leader wields various magic equipment. Amarouq puts out his light and shouts, “THIS IS GOD.” On that successful Bluff check, he tells the Orcs to kill the leader. They don’t believe him, but then he tells the Orc leader that if he kills every Orc, he wil be granted any one wish except for more wishes. And do you know what he rolls? A natural 20.
So the leader runs around the room rolling an unusual amount of 20s and slaying every servile Orc in sight. Even 3 on one can’t stop him. Only when all others are dead does he clue in that Amarouq is not actually God. The crew jumps down and kills the leader easily. Amarouq is awarded 300 XP and Leyf gets 200 XP. Calyx just couldn’t get there in time. Even so, Calyx takes the +1 Helm of Opportunity. He opts not to equip the +1 Scimitar, but takes it anyway to sell later. They bed down for the night around the campfire.
Then we go eat tasty meatballs and play Lord of the Rings: Conquest the rest of the night.