(G246 07/08/2015 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF, Mira, Guru)

(G246 07/08/2015 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF, Mira, Guru)


DAY 229 (26 Marpenoth) cont ...

Firstly we searched the bodies of the living and dead and piled all the loot up with the other stuff we were
dragging around with us. Weapons and plate armour mainly. At least we had another big strong fighter type with
us to help carry it.

I investigated the inner area of this platform which was up some steps. There was a sort of large cylindrical
bellows here that moved up and down rhythmically. It was made primarily of leather.

In the northern part of this platform was a grove of mushrooms that had grotesque faces on them. Sylvia informed
us that the faces were down to the strange properties of the region and that the mushrooms were perfectly edible.

Next we moved one of the guards round the corner of the steps and revived the other. Once revived he managed to
free himself from his bonds and disappear, but Drashnag stuck a spear in him and out he went again.

This time Mirabella did a proper job of tying him up and we healed and revived him once more. Gurudor slapped
the guard about a bit while asking confused questions, I could barely capture any meaning from what he said,
and the guard was knocked unconscious yet again!

I put my face in my hands, just about ready to give up, but Gurudor used some of his paladin magic to bring the
fellow round once more. He spoke a mixture of Chondathan and common.
'Well I've tried everything. You have questions for him Rollo?', said Gurudor.
I tried not to roll my eyes and I knelt down to talk to the prisoner,
'Ah well, anyway. What is your name?'
'Resra'
'Where are you from?'
'Your mother's backside.'
The nasty chap then tried some sort of fear magic on us, but the only person effected was Drashnag and he went
and skulked in the corner.
'I want to try to find a way so that this ends up with you alive at the end of it. Won't you parley Resra?'
All I got was abuse though.
He seemed like a dreadful fellow, all scars, tattoos and missing teeth, but there was always one last thing
that usually made people a bit more talkative and I let Mr Badger loose on his nether regions.
The strange, perverted individual seemed to enjoy it though! This angered Mr B who then gave him a really nasty
nip. The more he nipped though, the more the villain enjoyed it and it all ended well .. let's just say Mr B
needed to have a good gargle of water afterwards and Resra ended up unconscious yet again, bloody but smiling.

Unexpected and exasperating. So we dumped him in the corner and moved on to the next one. He was younger and
a little bit more forthcoming. His name was Zefron and he was from Wiglston and also spoke Chondathan.
He wouldn't give any details of how he came to be in the Plane of Shadows though. I pulled from him that he
had been a poor child and had joined this cult or whatever it was as a means of getting power and influence.

I wish I had remembered that Sylvia had Charm Person as a domain spell but it had slipped my mind. I blame myself
since from this one oversight all our other troubles bloomed.

Gurudor decided to untie the young man and kill him 'honourably'. I wasn't happy about this particularly, but
the paladin was now nominally in charge of this expedition and I remembered how badly things had gone with Destryl
when an argument over a prisoner had also got out of hand.
Also, much to my shame, I admit, killing the prisoners was the easiest option, especially since they were not
co-operating and obvious fanatics. What else could be done with them?

I wasn't expecting Gurudor to simply strike the fellow down as he was, unarmed and unprepared though. Drashnag took
this as a cue to slay the other one and drove his spear through Resra's chest.

My heart was heavy after that. I know I am no longer the young man that had all those exciting adventures around
Sassirine and Chult. It had been very dangerous, but I hadn't felt like I was loosing myself. Now I feel older, wiser
but also sadder. So much death and unpleasantness. I can feel my soul slipping away and I have such a strong urge
to get back to the real world and walk through nature once more. Every hour in this forsaken place is torture.

In any event, things then went from bad to worse.

Gurudor, a wild look in his eyes, decided he wished to bury the bodies of the slain. I knew this was a thing with
him from past experience. He always wanted to bury his foes. I've never seen the point, just prop me up against a
tree and let nature do the rest is what I have always thought.

So disgusted with the whole thing I went off to investigate the bellows. To see what would happen I cut the leather
and a lot of black shadowy vapour poured out then dissipated into the surrounding air. The bellows stopped puffing
and I had a peek inside. I saw lots of pipe work and was about to investigate further when cries from the doorway
drew my attention.

Gurudor had been carrying a body back to the huts beyond the construct's tower to find some soft ground for a
burial but was now being attacked by a large black dragon! It roared and beat its wings then breathed onto
the dazed paladin a long gout of shadow shards. We initially started running to help, but when the dragon attacked
Gurudor again the paladin was slain as dead as a door post and we all ran back for the safety of the platform.

The dragon roared a sort of evil dragony laugh and flapped off into the darkness.

And here I sit writing, waiting until we can determine if it is safe to go and recover Gurudor's body.

What do I know about Black Dragons? I know not to summon crocodiles as they can charm them. I know it was large,
which means it was a young adult or fully adult dragon. I know they usually have acid breaths, I think, so this is
some kind of Shadow Black Dragon. I know if we try and go up against it then we are dead meat.
The only thing I can think of is to try and be a lot more stealthy than we were. Perhaps all this charging about we
have been doing has got us noticed.

What I really want to do is go home. With Gurudor gone we have lost all our motivation for continuing onwards. But
even going back won't be easy. I've told Sylvia to memorise all the divination spells she has and I'll do the same,
so we can at least keep an eye on this fell creature. I hope I can Skrye it. I hope we can hide here for a while
without the dragon finding us. Should we move on or stay put? Go back to the monastery? I don't know! They are all
looking at me for a plan and I don't have one!