Session Log 5

… Three giant scorpions surrounded the party, who reacted with tactical precision. The fight was long, and not without injury. However, the monsters fell and wounds were patched, and the journey continued with little delay.

Soon the adventurers reached the home of the Oracle, a kindly blind elder. She spoke of a place in the desert where a great storm would reveal the temple of the dragon in three days time. With little time, she dismissed the party, stating that her time had come. With little hindrance, the party was off.

A great sandstorm had picked up, but the group was adamant about continuing. The group passed a large party of Rakshasa, though hostilities were far gone. Their leader appeared benevolent and warned the party about continuing in the conditions at night. The whole of the group set up camp once more.

At the third day, the adventurers came across the hallowed ground of the temple. While they found very little, the sands rolled away to reveal the underground structure.

The first room was an expansive hall, the middle of which contained a large statue of a golden dragon in partial human form. Upon examination, the dragon appeared to contain a lever that opened the floor. Petyr volunteered to remain as watch in the first room while the party descended into the temple.

Things grew unkind as the adventurers continued. Traps were discovered in the floor, but only after it had been too late.

One room contained a tree, fully blooming with golden apples. The walls revealed a constantly shifting tale in a multitude of languages. It was the story of Plutonis, the Golden Dragon, who had a son who matched him in power. The two dueled, until the father gave his son a gift of peace…

As the story was read, some party members plucked golden apples from the tree. Time passed, until the group became oddly fatigued. Kavan remarked on the branches that had been plucked: they too were a trap.

The party escaped the room as quickly as possible, entering into anew hallway. This one contained a wall of mercury-like substance. Voices chimed with their arrival: Who are you? What do you want? It soon became clear the wall was a means of divination magic, as whatever the individual asked to see, it would show. Isis, out of curiosity, asked to see the son of the Golden Dragon. Immediately, the wall revealed a dark young figure, who stared at the party with malevolence. Suddenly, hundreds of eyes joined the figure, and the adventurer’s found themselves running down the hallway as quickly as possible.

At the end of the hallway was a teleportation portal. From there, the party found themselves disoriented (but alive) in a deep, spacious cavern. Upon exploring, the party found living chambers, as well as an expansive hallway. The floor was littered with silver dragon scales, and the rooms enchanted with music, though none seemingly sang. Pell found for himself pan flutes, grafted with magic then unknown.

Another of these hallways belonged to the Bronze Dragon, containing a plethora of books of arcane nature. One of these, a journal, relayed a final entry steeped in betrayal and anger.

The end of the hall met with a similar portal. The party entered to find more or less the same cavern, but with a dramatic shift. Rather than a passion of music or arcane magic, this chamber seemingly belonged to the Golden dragon, a man of many striking tastes. Among his belongings, Kavan found for himself a crown of tempting enchantment, a feather of euphoric charms, and a goblet, always full. Also among the décor were portraits of a handsome man, surrounded always by a harem of elves. One room contained skeletons still chained to the wall. No clues led to the whereabouts of the dragons, but continuing led to a final door.

Above lay the head of a stuffed dragon. At the party’s approach, it sprung to life with a riddle:

What force and strength cannot get through,

I with a gentle touch can do,

And many of the streets would stand,

Were I not a friend at Hand.

What am I?

After deliberation, Pell and Kavan provided an answer: a key. The door sprung open, revealing a woman encased in crystal. The figure, painted gold, had been decorated with golden dragon wings. Suddenly, the crystal shattered, and the figure of the woman fell to dust on the floor.

During the scene, the voice of a female began to emanate from the body of Pell…

“I am here to guide you,” it said…