Felgolos' tobacco

Year: 1491, Month: Mirtul, Date: 1st

The second lair

Felgolos is keen to check the remaining ship, so we make our way briskly across the sand banks between the derelict stone boats, one eye always to the sky in case the twin Dragons return.  It looks about 30 feet to the top of the upturned boat.  Leo pulls a feather from somewhere in his robes, and waves it about muttering a string of unintelligible sounds, and after a final flourish with his hands, he begins to lift slowly off the ground.

He floats up and lands gently atop of the upturned boat.  After a few moments, a coil of rope snakes its way down.  We all climb up to the top, and look down into a large hole in the underside of the stone boat.  Its pitch black and we can see nothing until Leo conjures a light at the end of his quarterstaff and promptly drops it through the hole.  As the staff lands, we spy what looks like a huge purple coloured worm.  Expecting trouble, I begin to draw forth my longsword, but the worm doesn't move, and as my eyes adjust to the light we see it is the rotting carcass of a Purple Worm.  Perhaps this used to be the worms lair, which it lost to the Dragon twins. Leo re-positions the rope, and he nods his head in my direction.  I take hold of the rope and step over the edge.  I was expected the rope to hold my weight, but I drop like a stone 30 feet, landing with a dull metallic thud in a cloud of dust and dirt, the rope falling atop of me.  As I pick myself up carefully from the floor, and dust myself off, a second rope lands nearby.  Celery lowers herself carefully down, hand over hand, followed quickly by an excited Felgolos.  Leo floats down without the aid of the rope.  "What happened with the rope?  Have you seen the dents I'm going to have to ease out of my armor now!" Leo just shrugs his shoulders, and I leave it there.  We're next to the corpse of the worm.  As i look around, my eyes are drawn sparkles of light reflecting off an uneven pile of coins and gems at the far end of the boat.  That must be the other Dragon's nest about thirty yards away.

Felgolos immediately sets off at a run.  We all start to follow, but Leo pauses as though he's heard something.  I turn to look why Leo has slowed, whilst still hurrying after Felgolos, and see two antennae feeling their way out of the worm's carcass, followed by a huge mouth of teeth.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Leo stop in his tracks, raise his arm, and point at the worm carcass.  A glowing bean sized bead of fire streaks from his pointed finger and shoots into the worm, detonating with a loud concussion and blossoming into a ball of fire and flame that engulfs the creature.  The creature looks crisped and burned but it is still moving towards us.  There are number of screeches coming from within the carcass.  There must be more than one creature in there!

Before we can react, three more of the creatures race from the cover of the burning carcass.  The creatures are large, pale yellow and green in colour, and resemble a three to four foot long centipede. Each has eight long tentacles protruding from the sides of it's head, and two stalks from which angry looking blood red eyes stare at us.

One makes its way to Celery, who is slow to react to the danger, and strikes her with it's tentacles, and lands a bite on her arm as she tries to fend it off. 

Another closes the distance to Leo and similarly attacks him with tentacles and bites.  Leo wiggles his fingers and hurriedly says a few short words, and the creatures attacks seem to be deflected away by some invisible force.

The last slides over to attack me.  It's tentacles seem to be searching for gaps in my armour.  I feel a sharp pain and a numbness emanating from there rapidly spreads across my whole body.  I can't seem to get any of my limbs to move and I am frozen in place, although I can still see and hear.

Celery holds her shield up before her, and whispers a prayer.  A spectral mace identical to the one in her hand appears behind the large centipede and strikes downwards into the creatures back.

The centipede like creature that took the brunt of Leo's fireball lunges for Leo, although it's tentacles don't seem to find any way through his robes.  Leo suddenly vanishes, reappearing about 30 feet away, and a second bead of fire shoots from his outstretched finger.  It explodes with a loud blast engulfing the two centipedes that had moments before been attacking Leo.  The already burned creature is immolated and slumps to the floor.  There is a smell of charcoal and sulphur from the burning creatures.  The second creature although confused, quickly refocuses on Leo and continues to pursue him.

Celery's centipede caresses her with it's tentacles, although she doesn't seem overly concerned and she's still moving.  Unfortunately for Leo, the centipede pursuing him catches up to him, and after a quick strike from it's tentacles, he stops dead in his tracks, immobile, just like me.  This fight is starting to go badly.  Where is Felgolos when you need him?

I'm at the mercy of this enraged centipede and it tries to strike at my body with it's tentacles, and bite with its sharp teeth.  Even though I can't move, all it finds to hit is my armour which deflects the blows.  I hope it's broken some teeth!

Celery continues her dance with her centipede.  Strike with the Mace of Lathander, block a bite with her shield, strike with the spiritual mace, dodge the tentacles.  

Meanwhile I shake off my paralysis, and see Leo do likewise.  He's ducking and swaying to dodge the centipede that's attacking him.  Thank Tyr the paralysis was so short-lived. My centipede must think I am still paralysed, and that I am easy prey, as it doesn't try to disguise or feint it's attacks.  I parry it's tentacles with ease, and slam my shield in it's mouth as it tries for a bite.  I follow up with a sweep of my longsword that slashes through it's swirling tentacles, and the return stroke slashes across it's body, causing a large rent in its skin that oozes blood.  It's not looking in good shape now.

Behind me, in a loud, high-pitched voice full of excitement, I hear from the other end of the ship, "Got it!".  Maybe Felgolos will help us now he's found what he came for!

Leo extends his finger towards the centipede that he can't escape from, and a loud anguished bell tolls, but the creature seems unaffected.  

Celery meanwhile continues her battle but doesn't seem to be making any headway. I need to finish this huge arthropod so I can help her before it is too late.  Leo, also looks to be in trouble, as he tries to dodge out of the way, but can't avoid the creatures maw which comes away dripping blood.

All of a sudden the battle turns in our favour.  Celery smashes her opponent with the Mace of Lathandar; simultaneously the spectral Mace beats it's defences and it crumples to the ground.  One. I block an attempted bite with my shield, and whilst the creature is unsighted, I stab twice into its body, driving my sword to the hilt into its unprotected flesh.  It slides off the blade, dead. Two.  As I look up, a loud anguished bell tolls, and the final creature's head explodes, covering Leo in blood and gore.  Three.  And as quickly as it started, the battle ends.

Leo and I head over to the Dragon's treasure hoard, passing Felgolos running the opposite way. He grasps a leather pouch tightly in both hands, a smile spread from one side of his face to the other, shouting, "I got it! I got it!".  He points to the floor below the hole we came in through, "Meet you there!  Hurry, we won't have long".

When we reach the treasure hoard, Leo uses his magic to see whether he can detect any magical treasure, but Leo indicates he sees nothing showing the feint aura that signifies magic.  We don't tarry, we grab as many gems and gold coins as we can, before hurrying back to the only exit we know.

A calm withdrawal

A quick prayer to Tyr, and I vanish, reappearing on the edge of the hole in the upturned boat.  I scan the horizon all around, but Tymora's favour must be with us, as there is no sign of the Dragon's.  I lower a rope to my companions, and first pull up Celery, and then Felgolos.  Leo floats up under his own steam.  As I am stowing the rope back into my pack, Felgolos looks up to the sky with a broad smile across his face, before jumping onto the upturned hull and sliding down to the sand below.  He sets off running across the sand back towards the entrance to Ascore.

I look to my companions.  Leo shrugs his shoulders. Celery seems confused.  I leap after Felgolos and slide down the side of boat landing on my feet and follow after the Halfling Dragon.  There is a loud bump behind me as Celery lands in a heap in the sand.  She looks likes she's taken some cuts and bruises.  Before I get chance to turn around to help her, Leo flies down and uses the Ioun stone circling his head to release the healing magic stored within. Celery dusts herself down, and we race after Felgolos and the safety of the tunnel.

We reach the tunnel without further incident, and close the door behind.  We don't stop, and keep running the mile until we reach the other end of the tunnel.  The door is still ajar as we left it.  I carefully peer around the door into the bright sunlight, but everything appears in order, so I step outside.

Iymrith

As we all leave the tunnel, a throaty, feminine chuckle emanates from the plinth that has the dragon carving on it.  It's head begins to move and looks at us, "I hadn't realised I'd spawned such pitiful offspring to be bested by small folk and a puny metallic dragon.  Lucky for you, I don't have time for this nonsense.  The doom of the desert provides no insolence".

Felgolos doesn't slow and keeps going past, "That is Iymrith."  As I run past, I wave at the statue, "We will see you later then!"

As Iymrith finishes speaking there is an almighty explosion.  The statue shatters and showers Leo and Celery in thousands of sharp fragments.  As we tend Celery's wounds, Felgolos sits down, and lights up his pipe.  The scent of the pipesmoke permeates my being and relaxes my muscles, although strangely I feel much more alert.  Felgolos won't be rushed, and we have to wait while he finishes smoking his pipe, lost in his own thoughts.  

Eventually we get into the carriage and Felgolos, now back in his natural form, picks up and starts to fly us back from where we came.