The Lantern of Judgement glows bright with the powers of the sun god as Mornington holds it high, leading the crowd behind him. The unnatural darkness is dispelled from the Village of Kites as they go, allowing the adventurers and surviving villagers safe passage to the eastern road. They travel to where Glanduil Trisbalar and Morthil Ulawen were protecting the other villagers, but they have already departed on the folding boat. With no other option they continue on foot, hoping they can make good time for the sake of the capital. They travel until nightfall, making camp by a rocky outcropping sheltered by trees a ways off from the road to Spearpoint.
That night, while food and shelter is gathered, Edward catches sight of a young girl facing away from the gathering, concealing something. As he moves to see what she is doing he spots a flame in her palm, a flame produced from nothing. Recognising his own gifts performed by another, he immediately goes to question her. After an initial cagey reaction he draws the truth from her, Brogmim promised her power when he freed her from bonds back at the village church, telling her she would be strong, able to protect herself. Unfortunately, she agreed, and has now made a pact with Xarturas, Edward's patron continuing to spread his influence. Edward finds and confronts Brogmim for preying on the weak. Brogmim does all he can to frame it in a way that Edward will accept, but he knows all too well its lies and manipulation. Edward threatens the imp, and warns that he'll be painfully sent back to the Underworlds should he misstep again.
The next morning the party discuss their travels, they must get to the capital as soon as they can, Karna-Kar could already be terrorising Spearpoint. The villagers are going to slow them down, especially with many injured or sick. They turn to Alloria Mialeth and Saeval Petecran, who have already helped greatly in saving these people, and ask them to protect the villagers a little longer. The two elves agree and swear they will get them to safety.
A long, hard days travel ensues, and by the time the sun is setting Amarion, Crom, Edward, and Mornington finally lay eyes on Spearpoint. Rounding the top of a hill they see the huge city before them, stretched over a wide river. It's buildings elevate towards the royal palace at its centre, great constructions of the new world, pristine in comparison to the old cities of Dawnreach. But the city is far from intact, farmland in the surrounding area is scorched, and sections of the city's outer walls are demolished and burnt. Considerable damage has been endured by the gatehouse nearest to the party, and while they cannot see any immediate signs of Karna-Kar, it is clear he has already attacked.
Once the four heroes make it to the gatehouse they announce their presence and are granted access by the city guard. Before long they are speaking to the captain of the west guard who brings them up to speed. Void Wing attacked last night causing devastation, but thankfully the warnings given by elven visitors from Anlyth had prepared them for the worst. Counter attacks using the city's siege weapons managed to send the dragon away to lick his wounds. At the mention of the elves the party immediately want to be reunited with their allies, and the Captain of the Guard is happy to oblige. He tells them that during last night's attack there were further disturbances at the northern gates, Karna-Kar had been a major distraction while a battalion of dark shrouded troops entered the city. Much of the King's soldiers, as well as those from Anlyth, are there now, fighting those that remain.
A distant screech sends all into panic as the sounds of dragon echo across the fields to the west. Men start hurriedly manning the walls and taking up arms while the Captain guides the party through the city streets as fast as they can go. Once they find themselves in the northern districts of the city they encounter dangerous skirmishes happening in the twisting streets. Proving to be terrifying opponents to the armies of man, The Tarnished and the loyal shadow cultists are laying siege to a gatehouse that defends one of the river bridges. The party finds themselves in an advantageous position as they approach the enemy forces from the rear, unseen due to their focus on the gatehouse. Edward sends forth a bright spark that erupts into a fiery ball, the compact streets leave nowhere to run and he torches several cultists in one go. Amarion and Crom charge forth, Mornington firing bolts from his crossbow, as they tackle the great armoured Tarnished. Quickly tides turn as their enemies are caught in the vice between them and the Spearpoint defenders on the walls. The surprise charge sends Void Wing's forces scattered into the desolated neighbourhood surrounding them. Unfortunately, while dealing with this insurgence of violence, smoke billows from elsewhere in the city. The deep dragon roars strike terror in the hearts of those who hear it, and neighbourhoods burn as green coloured flames rise higher and higher.
The party are let into the now-unobstructed gatehouse and the party are relieved to see Captain Melius Imryll upon the walls. Her, her crew, and the many soldiers brought along are here fighting side by side with King Gura's men. They have been helping to defend the northern portions of the city from ground forces approaching from that direction, the powerful magic of the Tarnished has given them quite a hard time of it. She tells them that when it comes to Karna-Kar, they are all helpless, the party need to do what they can to take on the dragon while the others deal with the Tarnished and their cultists. They can now see whole sections of the city are burning to the south west, Karna-Kar's darkened silhouette soaring overhead. Melius informs them of the siege engines positioned on the towers of the city walls. Specifically, the ballista's have proven to be of great use, and they need to ground Void Wing if they are to bring an end to his terrible destruction. The party depart after wishing their comrades luck, and pick a gatehouse on the northern wall with a ballista on each of its towers. Once situated, Mornington plays his shawm, a long sorrowful calling to the skies. The beast they hunt recognises the sound, the instrument that struck him in the Village of Kites, and he descends towards their position. Hungry for vengeance after they vanquished his forces in the west, Karna-Kar will not let them live this time.
As the great winged beast approaches, he flies low along the city wall, using it to shield himself until the last moment. He rises into full view as his jaws part, an impossible glow of green at the back of his throat. Crom fires his ballista, Mornington does the same, one spear sized bolt rips into the dragons wing, the other misses in the frantic movement. A jet of acid sprays from the maw of Karna-Kar and douses all four of the party upon the wall, some suffer worse than others, the sting of acidic burns, the pungent smell of melting flesh. The dragon circles after its attack and flies wide to get away from the ballista. Edward and Amarion each move quickly to reload the siege weapons before Void Wing returns. Edward enchants one bolt with True Strike, allowing the weave to help guide it to its target. Amarion channels the divinity of nature and casts Ensnaring Strike on the other. Mornington trades places with Amarion and prepares to cast Shatter, they want a barrage of attacks this time. Crom gives over the ballista to Edward and climbs the battlements on the wall, arms out to his sides in some mad display of confrontation.
When Void Wing nears once more, they are ready. Edward and Amarion each fire a ballista, Edward's bolt strikes true in the centre of Karna-Kar's chest as a roar of pain blares across the cityscape. Amarion's bolt hits one of the dragon's wings, and it's magical effect starts to take effect. Thorney vines rapidly grow from the bolt and start wrapping around the wing, but Karna-Kar is far too large and it fails to impede his movement as the magical vines break and tear. Mornington creates an ear piercing tone with his shawm as he casts his shatter spell, an explosion of sonic energy ripples across Void Wing as he continues toward the four of them. But as his wing flaps and shakes loose the bolts, he starts to veer to the side. Crom's eyes narrow, his leg muscles tense in anticipation, arms raised by his sides. He leaps with all his strength as Karna-Kar flies past, a vast drop opens up beneath him as he sails through the air. The dragon's body thins to a trailing tail as Crom gets closer, and his stomach begins to sink in doubt, until he grips his arms around the clipped tail of Karna-Kar! A tail that, had it not been for Crom on that fateful day atop the Horn Peak Mountain, would have been that much longer.
The others are in shock to see their barbarian companion hurl himself on to Void Wing, and they see the black dragon try to shake him loose, but to no avail. Then, Karna-Kar tries a different tact, and begins to ascend, each thrust of his wings taking them to new heights above the city. Crom looks into the wings, into the darkness they produce, into a world void of light. He focuses, and hoists himself upward, hand working over hand to climb the great beasts spine. He feels the air thinning and notices Karna-Kar look back, checking to see when this warrior will fall to his death. Now close enough to his wings, Crom pulls the Dragon's-Bane Greatsword from its scabbard on his back. Wielding it with just one hand, he swings with all the precision he can muster and tears a huge wound into the dragon's wing. Karna-Kar stops ascending, his flight becomes clumsy, panicked. Then he fails to keep aloft at all, they both start to plumet towards the city below, spiralling downward at an alarming speed.
Watching in horror, the three atop the gatehouse watch as Karna-Kar fails to gain control, the spiralling motion only slightly widening as they approach the ground. The trajectory takes them outside of the city bounds and with a sickening thud, they hit the ground a few hundred feet outside of the city walls. They all mobilise, in the hope that by some miracle, Crom is okay. Amarion jumps over the battlements and just at the right moment casts Misty Step, landing safely on the ground below before running towards the crash site. Edward and Mornington are slower to get down from the city's defences and out the gatehouse. They see Amarion heading towards a dark, smoke-like sphere that has formed around the location that Crom and Karna-Kar landed, making it hard to see what is happening. As Amarion arrives he enters the sphere, inside is dark and windy, but he can see the wreckage of Void Wing's body, bone twisted and snapped, a crater where the weight of him has impacted the earth. The dragon's neck rolls over, head rounding as his eyes focus on Amarion. From within the folded mess of the dragon's body, an arm reaches out, Crom begins dragging himself out from underneath Karna-Kar. Amarion rushes forward to help, and sees a green glow form in the dark.
Edward and Mornington hear Void Wing screech, and the sphere illuminates green for just a moment as they approach. They enter the sphere, and see the carnage before them. Amarion lies unconscious on the ground, drenched in the remnants of Karna-Kar's acid breath, plumes of corroding smoke rising from his body. Crom is covered head to toe in blood, crawling towards them, a trail left behind him leading towards the mangled body of Karna-Kar. A voice of hissing steam, and grinding stones speaks to them. "Goooood, you're all here! Time for you to join me... to feel death with me... in the darkness of the void!"
The winds within the gloomy sphere pick up as if they now stand within the eye of a storm. They cannot see the fields around them, nor the city behind them, as the smoky barrier whips around them. A ghostly glow begins to appear around the sphere, illuminating the body of the fallen Karna-Kar. It twitches. The crunching of bone, a snapping of sinew, sounds that curl your spine, as Karna-Kar's does the same. Flesh begins to fall from the dragon's body, rapidly thinning as it begins to move, to stand! His stunted tail splits at the end and begins separating down the middle, revealing more bones than should fit in such a place, the tail keeps splitting becoming two individual appendages. The belly of the beast rots and decays leaving a vacuous space where now only a muscle covered spine holds him together. More anatomy snaps and crunches into place, wet sounds of muscle sliding over bone as discarded hide falls to the floor, the membranes of his wings all but withered to reveal the structures beneath. Mornington has seen this gore, images he had glimpsed before when lightning joined them, not realizing their significance, not realizing their premonition. The dragon's bones seem to be growing into new shapes, his front legs now resembling something far closer to arms. One of them reaches within the descended jaw of the now skull-like head of Karna-Kar, and like some kind of sickening trick, he pulls forth a sword from within, twice the length of a man, glowing the exact green of his vile acidic breath. As he takes footing in his new bipedal form, his two tails whip wildly around him, each capped with its own, snapping skull. The wind subsides and the smoke clears, and the utter despair of what they see before them continues. The glow around them emits from an army of undead spirits, circling them in a macabre arena with Karna-Kar at its centre. The skies above are pitch, and the lands around them are nothing but shade, as they find themselves transported to the Shadowfell.
Karna-Kar takes a cumbersome step forward, his sword primed for attack. Mornington and Edward move frantically to get out of reach, but have limited room without falling into the clutches of the spirit horde. Pressing himself up to his knees, then to his feet, Crom rises. Greatsword in hand, he stands in the path of the undead dragon as it approaches. Karna-Kar's tails strike at the barbarian like snakes, his sword follows in a great arc, a clang of metal rings across the battlefield as Crom deflects the blade, and kicks the biting tails. He is barely protecting Amarion, the elf lies still on his back several feet behind him. Edward conjures forth one agonizing blast after the other, lighting up the gory extremities of Void Wing with eruptions of purple. Mornington takes the opportunity to cast healing word, his speech aligning the powers of the weave to heal Amarion. The Paladin of the Ancients opens his eyes and stumbles to his feet, trying to make sense of the monstrosity that now faces them.
A dance of death unfolds between Karna-Kar and the four heroes. Edward and Mornington keep their distance, out of reach from the writhing tails, hurling spells and projectiles all the while. Crom and Amarion tread careful circles with the undead dragon, working as a team to strike when an opening presents itself. They get caught with the mighty blade, thrown back from their position, winded, baring carved wounds. Predatory jaws gnaw at them as they regain their footing, Void Wing's new appendages always finding their prey. Another sonic blast sends the Dragon's head rocking as Mornington completes his spell. The horned skull turns, green light glowing from empty eye sockets as well as from a mouth dripping with illuminous acid. The terrible being convulses as a ball of viscous acid flies through the air and collides with the bard, a new wave of pain befalls him as acrid air fills his nostrils. Edward casts another Eldritch Blast, but something goes wrong, a twinge of pain as the spell backfires. The energy fails to fly free from his hand, and faster than it has ever done so before, the blackened stain upon his flesh spreads across his hand and just past his wrist. Undoing the recovery blessed on him by the Elemental Spirit. He winces, grits his teeth, and tries to conjure his powers again.
Crom finds his vision blurring, his energy fading from blood loss, barely able to grip his weapon. He sees the dragon silhouetted as eldritch purple blooms upon his back. He hears the distant whispers of the noble bard, vicious words that have the dragon's head twitch in reaction. All sound becomes blurred, muffled, he tries to focus on the fight before him. Is this one his last? Karna-Kar steps with purpose and lunges toward him with his over-sized sword. Crom sees his end is near, a battle well fought, he thinks. Metal screeches as the sword's tip scrapes across the magical shield of his elven companion. Amarion pushes Crom from harm, deflecting the attack and stands by Crom's side. Karna-Kar moves for a second flurry of attacks, and it looks like Amarion is in his sights. Crom will not allow his companions to fall, not before he has given everything he has. He looks inward, and finds something to face the affront to nature before them. Light pours from Crom's chest in great ribbons as he screams in fury. The light douses the wretched dragon, as a great creature leaps forward, one seemingly made of pure light. The flight of a hunting eagle, the power of a rampaging bear. The bright silhouette travels from Crom and claws right through Karna-Kar's body. Burning radiance courses through the dragon as he stumbles backward, blinded and brutally wounded. The Bear Spirit exits the dragon's body and slowly fades from existence, its role fulfilled. Delivering light to the darkest of places, a spirit of nature facing off against the unnatural.
Karna-Kar recovers after a few stumbling moments, and its unclear who he will target next. Crom runs to goad him away from his companions, mocking him with the grievous wound he just inflicted. Karna-Kar approaches him with malice in his eyes, he raises his blade high and looks at it, jaws widening. Ghastly green flame sprays from his maw, covering the blade from cross guard to pointed tip. His breath ceases, but the colossal sword continues to burn with foul magic, acid and fire as one. His blade still raised high, he moves to make a devastating sweep with the infernal blade. They can all see that Crom is sacrificing himself and do all they can before the blade falls. Edward fires his eldritch magic again, the first collides, but the second curses him once more. Tendrils of black spread all the way to his shoulder, his skin cracking around his fingers and hand, raw red flesh peering through the cracks. Mornington begins to play his shawm, a melody gently rising up through the mayhem. The angelic music fills his companions with a powerful feeling of hope, the weave guiding them to fight for the side of light. Amarion races forward to flank the undead beast, Dawn Shard in hand he approaches the flailing tails at Karna-Kar's back. He hacks at one of the tails, a sickening crunch as blade meets bone. After bringing down his bright blade again and again, he severs one of the tails. It writhes and withers before him, then lays still in the dirt. Karna-Kar's sword descends, a huge arc spins about his position, green flame rippling in its wake. In turn both Crom and Amarion try to dive aside, but neither of them make it clear of the vicious weapon. Crom's side is split open as he is thrown to the ground, flames dancing across his skin. Amarion's shield pivots from the collision and the blade dents his breastplate, knocking the wind out of him. He too collides with the ground, facedown, and they both fade from consciousness.
Cold, silent, dark. All perception stolen, as the void embraces Amarion. Until something distant, warm and inviting, calls to him. A melody drawn from the weave itself, a beacon of hope in the gloom. Amarion's eyes flutter open as Mornington's magic brings him to the light. He turns his head slowly and sees Karna-Kar coil around as he moves for Mornington and Edward. He turns his head the other way, and sees Crom, bleeding and dying. He utters a few words as he reaches a hand towards his holy tome. His body turns to mist before vanishing, reappearing by the side of the Totem Warrior. He reaches out to Crom's fatal wound, healing energy transferring from his hand as it slowly stitches it back together. The barbarian groans as pain sharply wakes him, and without a word he grips the handle of his Dragon's Bane Greatsword and carefully rises.
Mornington and Edward have nowhere to run with the hordes of spirits at their back, and they've little to help defend against the power of Karna-Kar in close quarters. Mornington notices his companions, past the undead dragon that strides towards them, eldritch blasts tearing his flesh as Edward wears him down to the last possible moment. Crom and Amarion both rise and Mornington puts his bardic magic to work, his shawm sounding out a flurry of notes. Crom feels himself quicken as he paces towards Karna-Kar, his movements coming with ease, his weapon moving with haste. He swings his greatsword as it meets decaying dragon flesh, Karna Kar turns as strike after strike lands upon him, what's left of his body is beginning to fail him. Crom leaps, a blur of quickened attacks thanks to Mornington's magic, he sinks his sword into Void Wing's shoulder and pulls his full weight down upon the blade as it starts to rip the dragon in two. The blade slides loose, Crom lands on his feet, and Karna-Kar's body loses balance. The dragon lifts his sword, a last desperate attempt as his mass starts to fall toward the barbarian. Crom swings his weapon, deflecting the flaming blade as it passes dangerously close to him and embeds itself in the earth by his side, flames doused by the impact. Karna-Kar's body slams to the ground around him, flesh withering to ash, bones crumbling to dust. Terror of the skies, wing's of the void, the dragon condemned to the Shadowfell by the Dargean, only to become an undead abomination, is finally defeated.
The spirits that surround the party ripple like some great shockwave has passed over them, rapidly moving backward as they fade from sight. The ghostly glow subsiding, the party are left in a vast expanse of darkness, only a select few items acting as a pinprick of light to orientate them. They each look at one another, anger fading to relief, to concern, to doubt. Crom's gaze fixes upon the impossibly large sword that stands proud from the earth in front of him. His fingers twitch, and his arm begins to raise toward it.
Next Session. 108
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