The Mountain Dragon

cy 4862 - Sepos 29th - 30th

Taryn Bzar leads the party onwards inside the massive mountainous creature. Kuraluk casts cure light wounds on Taymar’s battered leg enabling the warrior to move more freely. His greaves, however, are damaged beyond even the skill of the best armourer. Jindra Dar – the Marraq – tries to contact the overbearing presence of the mind of the creature but it, like him, is protected by a thought shield.

Ahead Jindra spots a black shape moving in the shadows. His mind searches out the creature and he discovers nothing more than animal intelligence. He launches an arrow into the mind anyway and the shape stops moving. They move up to see a darkbow shaft protruding from the brain of a huge armoured beetle. Imno Tani milks the mandibles and gathers a strong paralysis poison.

Further down they find the body of a Myrid traveller. The unfortunate man has – like a corpse they found earlier – had his ribcage ripped open and heart and lungs devoured. They move more cautiously forward.

A wall of blackness soon confronts them spanning the entire passageway. Taryn places an arrow over the threshold and the arrow disappears without a sound but re-appears when he pulls it back. The barrier absorbs both light and sound.

Zaskar bravely puts his head into the darkness and recoils instantly with blood spurting from a head wound. Unseen claws have ripped his head in two and he falls dead instantly. The party grab for bows and let loose into the darkness, which retreats rapidly under the barrage of arrows. It is too quick for any of them to follow but Jindra uses his mind to spot one – and promptly puts an arrow into it!

The party reach the dead monster as Jindra pulls the arrow out of its forehead. It is a large humanoid with tiger claws and a snake’s head. They all shudder at the sight.

The Marraq searches down the tunnels and feels the minds – intelligent predators – gather. There are nineteen left and they sprint towards the party. The wall of blackness accelerates at them and Taymar, Jindra, Imno Tani, Damula, and Taryn all fire arrows into the terrifying darkness.

The blackness envelops them and they are in hand-to-hand combat. Jindra Dar uses a dagger and is able to find minds before he strikes them, Damula is able to sense evil before she cuts them with her blessed axe. The others are fighting blind.

Taryn uses his unarmed skill to feel for his opponents; when he catches the arm of one of them he drives his knife up into its brain. Damula strikes wherever she senses evil, her deadly axe cutting and culling in the eerie silence. Taymar is less selective and cuts left and right without thought for his companions safety – anything that gets close he attacks.

It is unlike any fight the party have ever experienced. When the last monster is slain the darkness / silence is lifted and the true carnage emerges. Taymar, Damula, Taryn, and Jindra Dar remain amongst nineteen of the dead creatures. Both Imno Tani and Kuraluk are dead, either ripped apart by the snake heads or cut down by friendly fire.

Using the inner heat to guide them Taryn moves on until he reaches a cavernous opening – like the inside of a monumental ribcage – it could easily house several of Grayhawk’s larger cities within it. The floor is damp and covered by small pools and rivers and bands of travellers can be seen traversing the cavern. When an arrow hits the wall next to them Taryn decides to lead them down to the floor of the massive cavern.

At ground level they meet a group of Myrid travellers led by a man called Westrel. "We have come inside to shelter from the cold – I’ve never seen snow like it!"

Westrel and his men move west but Taryn knows his goal – and the goals of the party – lie to the east. He somehow knows that Westrel is taking his men to their deaths.

Exhaustion takes hold and Taymar finds them a good place to rest, a small cave on the edge of the cavern. Whilst they sleep Taymar and Jindra watch in horror as their companions age and turn to dust before their eyes. Jindra senses another mind playing tricks and shuts his own mind with a thought shield. Only then does he see that their minds are being targeted – he informs the rest of the party this by waking them and then goes in search of the attacking mind.

With his powerful mind open Jindra seeks – and finds – the mind. He is instantly struck dumb and falls down, foaming at the mouth his body is wracked by violent shaking. Damula reacts quickest and casts bless and Jindra recovers instantly.

"It was as if I was in the mind of the creature that created all of this!" the Marraq says wide eyed…