Bronto Steaks
Caves below the Temple Ruins, Frostback Mountains, 9:30, Solace 15th Morning
The first thing they noticed was the smell. Blood, rotting flesh, and excrements, they all mixed together to form an awful and disgusting cloud lingering in the caves. To the left a kind of stable was to be seen with a dozen of those brontos in it. They seemed to be sleepy, not disturbed by the smell or the noises of the cultist who was cleaving the remains of one of their kind to divide it in smaller parts. Morrigans sleep spell allowed the companions an unchecked search of the caves around. There were a total of three of the stables with brontos, in the third being held captive the only full grown examples. "Why do they need so many brontos? With this flesh a whole army of Mabaris could be fed." Alistair wondered.
Following the tunnels the smell of rotting flesh slowly was replaced by something other, unknown to all of them. Padding feet with small claws could be heard, some kind of hissing, crunching of bones, tearing of flesh. "Yes, my little darlings. Eat, grow. Not long and then you'll join your brethren. Here is more." A new staccato of hissing, tearing and crunching followed. A careful look around the next corner revealed two cultists with buckets looking in a trough confined thru slick stone walls with a whirl of large lizards within.
"Dragonlings," Leliana murmured astonished. "When will the next hatch be ready?" One cultist asked the other one. "Korgrim said in a week, ten days at most. The other trough is ready for them. Its better we hold them apart else the older dragonlings mistake their brethren for food."
A few minutes later they dragged the cultists' corpses into a niche to hide them, wondering what to do with the dragonlings. "I really don't like the idea of killing helpless creatures, but if we let them live, they will bring havoc to all villages in the vicinity." Wynne pondered, and then with the agreement of her companions killed the caged dragonlings with her spells, her stony face not revealing her emotions further.
It was not before reaching another great cave that they met any stiff resistance. "Eight cultists I see, Zevran announced, mostly warriors but two of them mage I assume. And … there are dragonlings, larger one. I saw three of them the size of a horse."
Mikhail frowned: That doesn't sound good. "We can't allow these drakes near our ladies. Best Alistair and I try to hold off the drakes and warriors, Sten and Zevran try to intercept anyone evading us and the rest stay behind us. Natasha, your job is to kill the mages."
Deviating from her normal behavior of staying silent this time Natasha supposed another plan. "Zevran leads me to the cave. I attack them with an area spell. With luck I surprise them and can kill the mages first strike. We rush back and fight in the tunnel. There is less room for the cultists to avoid Mikhail and Alistair. And synchronizing our cone spells – Wynne in the middle with fire, Morrigan right with ice and I to the left with lightning – we could do an awful punch to the clenched mass of enemies."
Mikhail approved and silently as possible Natasha and Zevran crept into the cave. But as any soldier knew: a plan seldom undergoes unchanged. Only seconds after entering the cave a lone cultist, until now resting behind a rock out of Zevran's sight, stood up and detected the intruders. Zevran's throwing dagger pierced the cultist's throat but didn't prevent a last shout, alarming his comrades. Standing stoically as if in the mage tower's training hall Natasha began casting her spell, ignoring the rushing enemies, the drakes being not very fast. Only split seconds before the enemy mages could cast their first spell, Natasha's mana clash finished. With piercing cries both mages went down, unknown to Natasha if dead or only unconscious.
"My dear warden, we should …" Ignoring Zevran's urging words Natasha stood her ground, her smile a bit frightening the elf. Five yards, four, three. Showing her fiercest grimace with a loud cry she released a wave of telekinetic force, tumbling the cultists before she turned and followed the elf as fast as she could. A wild mass of bodies of cultists and drakes tried to get some order into the attack, following the mage into the tunnel, stopping as Alistair and Mikhail became visible blocking the path.
The cultists at the rear shoved their comrades towards the companions, themselves being pressed by the drakes. Someone tried to open a way for the drakes to pass the cultists only adding to the tumult. Sizzling, roaring and hissing the cone spells were released, causing an awful smell of burned flesh and scales. Weeps of pain emanated, strengthened as the drakes in their distress bit at everyone near them. Giving their mages some time to recover, Mikhail and the others went forward and made short work of any surviving creature, be it a cultist or drake. Silence fell into the tunnel, the floor slippery by a mess of human and drake blood, causing nausea to everyone.
Leaving the Caves below the Temple Ruins, Frostback Mountains, 9:30, Solace 15th Mid-Morning
After killing another handful of cultists and a single drake and destroying two caves full of dragon eggs, the companions neared the exit of the complex, a tunnel leading to a small shrine overlooking a dale behind the ruins. "I wonder were this Korgrim is, "Alistair asked. "It sounded as if he would be the leader here but he hasn't reacted to our attacks. At least I can't remember to have seen anyone special between all those cultists."
Iona pointed to a small group of cultists, waiting near tumbled shrine ruin halfway across the dale, on the other side being visible the entrance to another structure embedded into the rock face. Six cultists surrounded another one, this one especially large and well-armored and armed with a battle-axe, a horn strapped at his side. "Seems a bit too easy, no?" Zevran wondered. "Four of them have heavy crossbows and there is no place to hide and sneak."
Iona added: "I'm more disturbed why he's waiting out there in the open." Mikhail nodded in agreement. "Perhaps Alistair could go on, explain that we're only harmless knowledge seekers and don't want to disturb. Reach some peaceful solution, no?" Zevran joked. "Better sell you to them for passage right," Alistair glared back. "They noticed us, so why do they wait? There aren't any possible hideouts, so there won't be other cultists waiting for a surprise attack."
"Dragon," Morrigan uttered her idea. "The dragonlings and eggs don't come out of thin air. There is a large dragon, the lair probably somewhere up the cliffs. Somehow this Korgrim is able to summon her. That would also explain why all these cultists follow him." Hesitantly Mikhail agreed. "I fear Morrigan to be right. That's terrible. I really don't know how we could face these cultists and the dragon at the same time. "
"I could shield you against the dragon's worst attacks with Wynne healing. You would have to endure the onslaught while the rest of us kill the cultists. But my plan has a slim flaw: How do we urge the dragon to attack you and no other?" Natasha suggested half-heartedly.
"I have a plan about that. Sten, come with me, you others waiting here." Iona clambered back into the caves. Some minutes elapsed, companions and cultists waiting in some strange standoff, and then Iona returned, dragging a splintered egg and Sten carrying two buckets full of awful smelling paste. "This will be a bit disgusting," Iona explained, placing the egg into Mikhail's hand, cloaking it with a blanket. On her signal Sten poured the paste, a mix of blood and other dragonling fluids, on Mikhail. "You see: dragon bait." The warrior mumbled something about Iona waiting long for doing this, but then went down the slope towards Korgrim; Natasha followed and shielded him from possible crossbow bolts.
As expected the cultists began to shoot bolts and magical missiles at Mikhail, mostly deflected by Natasha, but a single arcane missile hitting his side and another bolt scratching his thigh. Slowly Mikhail advanced further, the egg protecting with his shield. The rest of the group followed twenty yards behind, Leliana and Iona annoying the crossbowmen with their bows. Then Korgrim put the horn at his lips. And loud sound erupted, frightening beyond the simple noise. An angry bellow answered from the cliffs. Mikhail hesitated a moment, then continued his march towards the cultists, leaving Natasha behind.
A large, winged creature erupted from the cliffs, far larger than expected, the sight terrifying. It winged a rollover, passed the group way out of arrows range and allowed a good look at its giant claws. The cultists didn't attack in force but changed targets to the group and waited for the dragon to make a first strike.
"Come here, you craggy lizard, come here and die as your children have before." Mikhail revealed the egg, held it high for a few seconds and then made a show of hurling it to the ground and stumping on the shards. For a moment Mikhail feared the plan to go awry as the dragon made a pass to the group. It released a breath of flame onto them before changing its flight and landing near Mikhail, instantly snapping at the warrior.
Natasha shielded the group as good as possible, leaving it to Wynne to heal the burnings and to Mikhail to evade the first attacks of the dragon. Smelling the dragonlings blood was enough to enrage the dragon, let it forget the rest of the group, only wishing to destroy this human, tear and bite it apart, crush it with feet and wings.
The group rushed forward, Leliana and Morrigan targeting the mages, Alistair running for Korgrim. Wynne draped a lifeward spell around Mikhail before following the others, the distance being too great to heal all companions. Shielded by magic, his weapon strengthened thru Natasha's spells Mikhail accomplished some light wounds to the dragon, hurting more its pride than doing real damage.
Forgetting any thoughts about being wounded themselves Sten and Zevran tried to kill the cultists as fast as possible, but these men were the cultists finest, the fight protracting far longer than hoped. Especially Korgrim himself was and admirable foe, Alistair barely able to hold ground. In the meantime more than once Natasha had to deflect an attack of the dragon, Mikhail beginning to wear from the exhaustion to evade this massive onslaught. Then he stumbled, the dragon instantly exploiting the chance to snatch him with its fearsome jaws, hurling the warrior to left and right as would a crocodile. Only Natasha's shielding prevented Mikhail from being torn in halves, before the dragon flung him away.
Content with its victory the dragon rushed towards the companions, Morrigan and Wynne being nearest to it. While Wynne was too occupied with healing Alistair and Sten, Morrigan realized the danger. Instead of evading she made the grave mistake of attacking with her spells, not doing much damage but getting the notice of the dragon. Bellowing in rage the dragon directed towards her, started a deadly biting attack. Paralyzed by fear the witch wasn't able to move, could only watch wide-eyed as the massive jaws neared to tear her apart.
Then something hit the dragon in rear and side, a lightning so bright that it blinded Morrigan, followed by a tremendous thunderclap. Magical energies slashed the dragon's side, tearing the skin of the wing away, cracking dozens of scales, burning flesh, wounding his hind-leg. With a bellow of pain louder than any heard before from the companions the dragon halted its attack, its leg relenting under its weight, the wing flapping useless.
Alistair used Korgrim's terrified shock to shove his sword thru the cultist leader's neck, Sten following swiftly by cutting down the last cultists. The dragon slowly turned around and limped towards the lone figure lying on the ground. Iona and Leliana rushed as fast as possible past the dragon and started to pepper it with arrows. The effect was nearly nonexistent and the beast dangerously nearing Natasha as a lucky shot of Iona pierced one eye.
Helpless the dragon tried to pull the arrow away, turning right and left to avoid further pain and gave Zevran the chance for a very daring move. In full run he neared the dragon, jumped on the base of its tail, then on the back, sliding down its side, halting his fall with a stab from his dagger in the wounded side of the beast. Pulling upwards he hefted his sword, stabbed the burned flesh with it, and leant on the pommel, to slowly but surely drive it into the dragon for its full length. Whirling around with the rest of its might the dragon succeeded in throwing of the elf at last, biting at the sword in useless rage. Sten and the other companions hurried to drag Natasha and Zevran away from the dragon, trashing in deadly pains. The death struggle endured more than a minute before it crashed to the ground and did its last breath.
The battle was over, the dragon killed but at what a cost.