Grandfather Tree and the Dragon in the Lake - Ch.4 - session 22
Previously our heroes bargained with a Large Hag for her Giant Relic, resulting in the Cleric receiving one of her cursed teeth in his own mouth. Later they were ambushed by another adventuring party intent on taking their Giant in for a bounty and probably looting their corpses - but the tables were turned and the party looted them instead. They used the Harpers teleportation network to go to the High Forest.
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**The New and improved cast of DnD Comrades**!
* Ransom - Tiefling Cleric of Thor. * Paxton Hightower - Human Wizard. * Otto Norona - Gnome Rogue/Fighter. * Creedun Grungerock - Dwarven Bard. * Gordon - Goliath Fighter/Barbarian. * Harshnag - Frost Giant Adventurer.
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As the party ventures into the High Forest they're amazed by thick and tall everything grows. The trees are so tall that Harshnag easily passes beneath their lowest limbs, but they're so thick that even at midday the forest is dimly lit as the sunlight struggles to make it through the canopy above.
Having removed the curse on Ransom's hag-tooth the party thought they were in the clear, but the iron fang had grown back in just 3 short days. The Hag playfully taunted Ransom telepathically then added "While I still have your tooth in my maw you shall not be rid of me so easily... unless you embed the iron tooth into the roots of the Grandfather Tree, only then shall you be free of my influence."
Ransom lets the group know but decides he doesn't want to risk unleashing whatever fowl plan the Hag has in store for the tree so he keeps the Cursed Tooth after all.
Arriving at the Grandfather Tree the party sees the 4 largest oak trees they've ever seen, but those are completely dwarfed by a tree whose verdant branches stretch out and over the oaks, completely shading them and the rest of the forest beneath it.
Out from the oak trees stride four feminine forms with skin of bark and hair of green grasses and flowers.
Dryads protect the Grand Father Tree and are hesitant to let the adventurers go nearer. Despite speaking the only tongue they know - Elven - Paxton struggles to convince them the heroes mean the tree no harm. He offers them the Decanter of Endless Water and tries one last time to convince the forest spirits to let them pass.
The Dryads accept the gift and add, "You may search the tree for your relic, but no digging, no chopping, and no fire."
The Grand Father tree's trunk is as wide as a castle keep, maybe wider. After walking around it they find a cave-like system formed from its roots and with twenty minutes of searching locate an ornamental crescent moon shaped object with Jotun runes carved into the side. Roots from the tree are wrapped tightly around the object and the party struggles with how they might free it without incurring the Dryad's wrath.
Gordon could rip it free but the roots would definitely tear. They ponder that it's technically not chopping, but also suspect the Dryads don't care for technicalities .
Creedun plays his bagpipes loudly, hoping the vibrations might loosen the root's grip. This has no effect on the roots or the object but the resonance in these tunnels is magnificent!
Finally Paxton gets an idea. He approaches the artifact and takes hold of it with both hands, gripping it firmly. Then he casts Dimension Door and he teleports 10' away. When he appears a second later the curved object is still in his grasp and the roots remain where they were firmly wrapped around nothing but air.
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They travel a few days northeast toward the next burial mound known as Stone Stand. As they pass through more of the High Forest they start seeing an occasion large hewn brick of moonstone, weathered smooth and covered with moss and vines suggesting an ancient civilization that once stood in this forest.
Near the end of another day's travel they come to a clearing in the otherwise impenetrable forest canopy. Ahead they find a large lake, the shore holds several more moonstone bricks, and a once elegant archway still stands partially submerged in the water, covered in bands of dry algae of various depths.
Creedun and Otto go for a swim. Gordon asks Harshnag to stand near the water and hold his arms straight out. Harshnag is confused but obliges to see where this is going. Gordon climbs the Frost Giant and leaps down 20' into the water below. When the swimmers emerge and dry off they realize theirs skin is mildly itchy.
They make camp for the night and the conversation around the fire turns to a strange topic: "would you ever kiss a Goblin?" Otto thinks they're too gross. Harshnag puzzles at how that would even be possible because they're so small. Gordon observes that he woke up with a Goblin one night after a wild bender.
Suddenly, a rustle in the underbrush, a snapping twig, and heavy footprints crunch toward them from the darkness just beyond the firelight.
ROLL INITIATIVE!!!
Two large Trolls - covered in festering boils run at the party looking for a meal. Each time the Trolls take damage some of their boils erupt and spray a poisonous mist at anyone near them. Also the first thing the Trolls do is run in close to the party and tear into their own flesh, releasing an unnerving amount of poisonous spray! Their wounds begin to close almost imediately.
Gordon grabs a hot, flaming log from the camp fire and starts beating a Troll senseless with it. Its burns prevent it from regenerating and it goes down quickly (but not before Gordon takes a ton of retaliatory poison spray). Gordon eventually succumbs to the poison and falls unconscious, dying.
Harshnag restrains the other Troll in a weighted net so his companions can attack with advantage. The Troll quickly tears out of the net, but isn't able to do much else before being put down by Paxton's Fireball.
Otto revives Gordon with a potion.
The party rests for the night and continues their journey in the morning.
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They begin to make their way around the lake and Otto muses that he wishes he could take some moonstone home as a souvenir. He can't find any small pieces so he asks if Harshnag could break up one of the larger bricks.
Harshnag agrees and finds another brick some 20 feet from the lakeshore. He brings his immense ax down on it several times until pieces flake and crack off. Several members of the party grab the stone bits and put them in their backpacks.
Just then the water erupts violently as a HUGE black form breaks up through the surface, its serpentine neck supports a draconic head with curved horns. Enormous wings pump to propel it straight towards the party! Its back is nearly as tall as Harshnag and it is clearly a mature dragon in its adulthood.
ROLL INITIATIVE!
Paxton attempts to Slow the Dragon but it easily resists his spell.
Otto hides behind the moonstone to attempt to fire his bow with advantage, but even though the Dragon isn't looking at him, it seems to know exactly where he is and the attack glances off its black scale without damage. Its then the Gnome notices the Dragon already has several slashes across its side, along with a slight tear in its left wing that likely limits its ability to fly somewhat.
Creedun summons his Giant Eagles.
Ransom calls down lightning from the heavens and calls upon Thor to maximize its damage but the Dragon chooses to resist the worst of it.
Gordon flies into a rage and sprints towards the Dragon, doing a flying leap onto it and punching it repeatedly.
Angry, the dragon pounds Gordon with its wings, knocking him off and prone. Then the draconic foe mauls the helpless Barbarian repeatedly.
Creedun's Eagles attack the Dragon and the Dragon counters by slamming Gordon with its tail while he still lays on the ground.
Harshnag says "oh shit oh shit oh shit" and sprints towards the dragon, but can't reach it before it brings down its tail once more on the prone Gordon.
Paxton tries to levitate Gordon out of harms way but can't get him out of range before the Dragon once again whips the Barbarian with its tail.
Again Otto's arrow harmlessly tings off the Black Dragon's plate-like scale armor.
The Dragon repositions itself, the glands behind its jaw swell, and as it opens its mouth it releases a stream of black bile across Harshnag, Creedun, and very nearly Otto as well (the moonstone the Gnome hid behind was 80% melted). Creedun nearly blacks out from the acidic juices that burn him, but even though he holds onto consciousness, he looses his spell focus and the Giant Eagles dissipate.
Gordon punches the Dragon some more, Ransom calls down more lightning as well as summoning his spiritual weapon to attack, Harshnag lands a couple blows and the Dragon is looking hurt. Still, every chance it gets the Dragon whips Gordon with its tail.
Just as Gordon is about go under Paxton polymorphs the Barbarian into a Giant Ape.
The Dragon sees it's in trouble and pumps its wings, knocking both Harshag and Ape-Gordon prone - it then tries to glide under the water, but in a last-ditch effort Gordon reaches out and grapples the Dragon by its tail, preventing its plan to retreat. The glands behind its jaw swell once more as it releases more Acid onto Harshnag and Paxton.
Paxton fails to dodge the acid stream - which normally would have taken him out of the fight immediately - but instead whips a spell scroll out of his robe and uses it to Absorb some of the Acid, only taking half the normal damage. Even still, it burns him so bad he can't focus and loses concentration on Polymorph, returning Gordon to his very badly injured state of being.