A/N: WHAT IS UP MUCKAAAAACHUNGAAAAAS!? IT'S TRAVEZ! And today I am bringing you a new chapter for Klauthiym! And I have some exceedingly good news, I did a bit of research a few days ago and now… MY DRAGON HOMEBREW RACE IS NOW COMPLETE! This is something truly great! Now, I will admit, I had to bite my pride and ask for help on this one and, to be honest, I am so glad that I did, because this was two, maybe three, years worth of headaches gone within just a week or two, and I am beyond happy with this! Now, despite this accomplishment, I will not be going back to rewrite everything that has happened in Chapter 1 and make everything pretty much worthless, instead, everything is going to stay the same, but I'm going to retcon the entire Dead Ends thing just a little bit. The only thing I will retroactively change is that Klauthiym's Dead End status was not only just something he was born with, but it was also due to the fact he has had barely any care given to him outside of his mother, with his siblings having practically starved and bullied him out of the nest, and only because of Galtherin and the villagers of Darkwood had taken to raising him themselves, he has not only caught up to his siblings, but he has a unique advantage over them, in that he can now channel not only his element, but the other 4 Chromatic Elements into both his attacks and his breath weapon.
Speaking of which, let me remind you all how my homebrew buff to the Ascendant Dragon Monk Works… The Elemental Damage from Draconic Strikes is added on top of the Unarmed Attack's Bludgeoning Damage with no additional attack roll, it is also not added on top of the Natural Weapon attacks that Klauthiym makes. For Klauthiym's Breath Weapon, my homebrew allows it that Klauthiym not only adds the Breath of the Dragon damage on top of his Breath Weapon, but he can use Breath of the Dragon to change his Breath Weapon's Element if he so desires or needs to, allowing him to become a much greater elemental powerhouse if need be. So yeah that's pretty much all that is being modified for Ascendant Dragon at this point, nothing more, nothing less. I might change things around for later levels but that is then, not now.
Also, with the completion of my Dragon Player Race, I'm actually wanting to know something: Do you guys want me to create a story where I create my version of the Chroma Conclave, but with Heroic Chromatic Dragons…? Or… Would you lile to see me try bringing in a D&D Dragon into the World of Ice and Fire/World of Thrones…? Let me know and if I get a positive enough response, I will actually do it!
In any case, I think that is enough out of me for now! Please be sure to Follow, Favorite, Review, and Share this story with anyone and everyone you know who likes Dungeons and Dragons Content! Catch ya on the Flipside! NAT 20!
Chapter 1: Bloodbane
The Sun would rise over the horizon as I would slowly begin to wake up, yawning loudly, in which I would stand up, yawning as I began to stretch out my body, shaking myself off. My eyes would adjust to the growing light of the sun as I would look down the side of the mountain… What I see traveling from the edge of the forest towards what appear to be a large number of white walls, are golden fields of wheat. The roads leading towards the city seem to be filled with what appear to be merchants that are looking to sell their wares, and, with guards who seem to be watching over the cargo and merchants.
I would smile as I see things proceeding as normal, only for my stomach to start growling. Now, while I could eat anything, due to being a dragon, I have standards for what I would like to eat in order to start the day. Looking around… My eyes happen upon a waterfall that seems to fall from the mountain's upper level and down towards the forest below, giving me an idea as to what I would like for breakfast: Fish. Stretching out my wings to get the morning sleep out of them, I would launch myself from the mouth of the cave, diving down towards the river below… I know the caravans would probably spot me, but at the moment that is no concern of mine.
Diving down towards the river, I smile as I walk over to the river banks and notice there is plenty of trout in the water, a smile creeping across my face. Taking to the air, I then perform a wide arc to grab as many of the fish as I can with my maw… And as I strike into the water, I manage to nab 4 large trout out of the water, the force of my bite being enough to kill each of them in that one strike. Landing back at the shore, I smile as I set the large fish down and begin eating them one at a time, deciding to save my breath weapon for an emergency. However, as I settle down to eat, I hear a ringing in the back of my mind.
"Heyooooo!" A voice calls from the other side, one I hadn't heard from in weeks. "How is my favorite crimson terror?"
"Galtherin! How have you been?" I would reply, knowing he is using an Orb of Message to allow himself to open up a 2 Way channel of communication.
"Everything's been fine, your father and mother are still on the hunt for you, which is no surprise, but it seems your siblings have just left the nest as well, all four of them, scattering out in all sorts of directions!" Galtherin says. "Anywho, I'm calling today because, if you recall, and I know you do, years ago I promised to help you find a home for yourself while you stayed in our village and helped us out. I've been working on that for the past few years and I've come up with a list of candidates that might suit you!"
"Oh? Tell me then!" I would say back, excitement evident in my mind.
"Well, there is one candidate, if I'm scrying correctly, that is not far from where you are, actually, if any indications are correct. "It's called the Windscar Peaks. It's a nicely situated not far from the the city of Evenfall, which, if I'm right, is not far from your current location."
"Yes I slept there last night but… I don't think it will suit me, it's far too close to any human civilization that I feel will mistake me for an evil dragon, based on my scale colors."
"That might be a wise choice, as that city has had some rough dealings with the Cult of the Dragon and their Dracoliches in the past, so cross that one out…" He does so and I can even hear him dragging his quill across the name. "My second candidate is actually some ways out into the Aquamarine Sea to the East, it's a large island that is about 5,000 square miles in size, according to those who have visited… But again, the mountains are too close to settlements to be of any proper point of isolation." He scratches that one out. "That only leaves our last Candidate, but granted, while there are no confirmed dragons that live there, it isn't completely isolated."
"What is it?"
"It's actually a Flat-Top Mountain called the Skycrown…"
"Skycrown?"
"Yes, a-"
"Wait, hold on!" I would say, hearing something, "I thought I heard something… I'm going to go investigate…!"
"Alright… I think I'll try explaining again in about an hour…"
"Sounds fine to me!" I would say, in which I would feel Galtherin cut the connection as I would pick myself up and begin making my way down river, following my sense of smell towards where I had heard what sounded like a splash. Making my way along the riverbanks, I would soon happen upon what I could only describe as a pile of clothes just sitting out on a large rock… Carefully walking over to them, I take a deep whiff… And my nose immediately lights up as two words erupt into my mind, activating a primal instinct: "Female" and "Virgin". I have to back away as I smash my head against a tree… Causing me a severe headache, but the pain is enough to snap me out of the dark frenzy that had risen up within the depths of my soul… My Inner Evil had found it's hunger roused, and I knew I had to silence it… I was not going to submit to my darker instincts willingly…
However, that is when I heard the splash again, and, as I turned around, I would see something that would drive most men mad with lust: A Beautiful High Elf Woman with Amethyst Purple hair, beautiful fair skin, with a body most women would kill to possess, and just as many men would kill to take to bed… My blue eyes would be transfixed on her as I would be stunned at what I had seen. The Woman would move her hands through her hair, only to turn around slightly… Then, she reaches behind the rock and draws a weapon, screaming. That is when there is the sound of thunder and something shatters against my scales, knocking my head back…
"Clarity! What's wrong!?" A Voice would call out from the forest as an Elf with Silver Hair and matching eyes would rush out of the forest. That is when he would look at me with absolute fear in his eyes, despite the rage burning within him. "S-Stop! L-Leave her alone!" He would say, drawing a sword. I would turn towards the newcomer, and, almost immediately, my blood was screaming to fight. I could easily tell this person was a Dragon in disguise, a Metallic Dragon, specifically, and I was finding it extremely hard to ignore those instincts, especially, after, rushing out after her, are what appear to be a woman, dressed as a rogue, would enter the fray, alongside a half-elf, a Half-Drow, and finally, a man with amethyst purple hair, like the Half-Elf, only this time, he would have amethyst eyes and the scent of a dragon on him. The group would look at me with shock as the Naked Half-Elf would find a place to get herself dressed privately.
"A Red Dragon!?" The purple haired man would ask, shocked. "But weren't we hunting a Green Dragon?"
'A Green Dragon?' I would think listening to this. "Wait hold on, I mean you no harm!"
"So says a pervert walking in on a woman taking a bath!" The High-Elf woman says, aiming a long weapon shaped like a metal tube on a carved stick, glaring at me.
"Captain, please calm down, let's hear him out first!" The Half-Elf says, trying to calm her down… Which it seems her attempts only seem to make her angrier.
"If I wanted to hurt you, I would've done so already…" I would then say, speaking frankly… It seems, however… This time, even though I know I was acting out of fear of whatever that weapon would do to me, it seems she relented this time and raised the opening of her weapon and would allow me to say my piece before shooting whatever it was she shot me with before. "My name is Klauthiym, I'm not here to cause the city of Evenfall any harm, I am merely traveling around to find a place to establish my lair."
"Likely story…" The High Elf woman would say.
"It's true!" I would say, looking at them seriously. "Anyway, you said something about a Green Dragon, correct?"
"What's it to you?" the Captain would ask.
"While I am looking for a place to establish a lair, I'm also looking for a means to earn my hoard, and if you guys are already hunting a Green Dragon, I think this might be a perfect time to at least help me get my hoard started at the least."
"How can we trust that you won't turn on us?" The High Elf asks.
"You have my solemn vow as a trained monk of the Dragneel Monastery, that I, Klauthiym of Darkwood Village, will not turn on you, nor turn my claws or flames on you, lest you betray me first!" I solemnly swear, and, as the group looks at me, some of them actually look convinced, whilst some of the others, namely the High Elf, Half-Drow, and the Purple Haired Dragon in disguise, all look at me, and all seem to accept my words.
"Alright then…" The High Elf says, putting her weapon away.
"Thank you for giving me this chance to prove myself." I would say, "So what are the specifics of this job?"
"Well, from what we know, a Cult had sprung up in the forest surrounding a dragon that has been called Bloodbane." The disguised Gemstone Dragon says, walking forward, "According to rumors, this dragon, while average for his strength, is actually surrounded by several cultists and guard drakes, though we don't know if they are somehow connected to the infamous Cult of the Dragon or not."
"I see… Interesting… Do we know where the Dragon's Lair is?"
"Not yet, but that is why we are investigating at the moment before we begin our hunt." Thinking that was a wise choice, I situate myself as we begin to make our way into the forest… We would begin to search for hours as we would go through what would seem like a a maze of woodland… However, that is when I would stop…
"What is it? What do you smell?" The Disguised Silver Dragon asks. I took a few good whiffs of the air to make sure I knew what I was smelling was true.
"Take cover!" Everyone would dive under the shelter of the underbrush as a shadow would pass overhead, and everyone would see a Young Green Dragon with something in it's jaws flying eastwards, and I smiled. "Looks like we found our target!"
"Yeah that looked like it…" The disguised Silver Dragon says. "Oh that reminds me, I never introduced myself! Elariymmsarl, Silver Dragon!"
"Klauthiym, Red!" That is when our Ranger looking friend walks over.
"Terrax…"
"Eryna Cavalias!" Our Half-Drow would say, showing off the white scales on her body.
"Fiona Bloodmoon." Our rogue would say, bowing respectfully. I then looked at our strange fighter but she just gave me a glare.
"Help us through this and I May tell you my name." She says, continuing on after the Green Dragon. I just shrug and everyone continues on, following the path the Dragon had flown in, though it seems the terrain was becoming more and more difficult as time progressed over the next few minutes. Brambles, long grass, and tree roots would be hindering our progress, and honestly, I was severely tempted to set the entire forest on fire as a big "fuck-you" to the Green Dragon. However, it seems our great leader could see I was getting agitated with the Dragon's Territory, and so she calls for everyone to take a rest so that I can calm down. Honestly, it was a good call and I was extremely grateful for it.
Walking to a tree, I would begin scratching with the talons on my wings and on my feet, taking my frustration out on it and honing my claws. "When I get my talons on that Green Bean I'm going to roast him or her alive!" I snarl, slashing up the tree more.
"K-Klauthiym, relax!" Elariymmsarl says nervously, "I-I know it's aggravating, but attacking a helpless tree isn't going to help much!"
"I know but I'm getting more and more tempted to set this whole forest ablaze just to get to our destination sooner!"
"Well I don't think we have much further to go!" Terrax says, looking past me. "Look!" That is when everyone turns to where Terrax is looking and we all see, at the edge of the forest is a large, overgrown stone walkway leading up a hill to what appears to be a large ruin. "The "Green Bean"'s scent is coming from that ruin… If I were a betting dragon, which I am, then they are in there!"
"Finally…" I say as we finish our rest and creep closer to the road, in which, much to our surprise, as the sun sets, there appears to be hooded figures walking along the walkway and up to the ruin…
"Cultists…" Eryna says, she then points to the front, revealing what looks to be a priest carrying a banner for the cult. We wait for the majority of the Cult Members to enter the ruins as we look to see a few stay behind. "Great, we can't sneak up like this…!"
That is when I get an idea, "Perhaps we don't need to…" I say, and "I'll act as a distraction… Follow me after I've done my part, if I slam my tail down and release a burst of fire, it's a bust."
"I don't like this plan but I've got nothing at the moment." Our leader says, to which I nod and make my way into the open.
"Finally… I say… I thought I caught the scent of an interloper…" I say as the cultists turn to me, their masked eyes going wide. "What do we have here? Morsels presenting themselves to me for a meal… You shouldn't have…" The two men see my blue eyes glow and begin backing away… Only for me to move faster than they expected. "Foolish insects, Klauthiym demands you explain yourselves… Why have you intruded upon my hunting grounds!?"
"Please, Lord Klauthiym!" The first of the two cultists says, falling to his hands and knees with his fellow. "We knew not this was your land! We were only paying our respects to Lord Skarrakkan!"
'I can't believe these idiots actually fell for that…' I thought before I continued on,"Who is this Skarrakkan! Speak truthfully and I may spare your miserable existence!" I slam my tail down hard, creating something akin to the cracking of a whip in my fury. It seemed my tail cracking had gotten me the effect I desired as the two of the cowards even further in fear.
"L-Lord Sk-Sk-Skarrakkan is the Green Dragon who claimed dominion over C-Castle Draco, my lord…! We sought his aid in re-establishing our religion and to bring glory to Queen Tiamat!"
'The Cult of the Dragon!?' I thought, doing my best to hide my shock, but then an idea came to my mind. "This Skarrakkan has transgressed into my territory! I will see to it that they are removed presently, and I will reclaim what is mine!" That is when I notice a glint behind them, and I smirk… "Very well, if you leave now and never enter these forests again, then you may live. The rest of your kin… They won't benefit from my mercy… NOW LEAVE!""
"Th-Thank you, Lord Klauthiym!" The two cultists say, and they begin to run in terror. That is when my companions sneak out of the foliage once the two were far enough away, and the Captain looks at me in shock.
"I can't believe that actually worked!"
"I surprise myself sometimes…" I say, "Well now we have a bit of a backstory for me to use as an excuse to attack the cultists, should we strike now while the iron is hot or return to town?" The Captain gave a puzzled look and started wiggling her ears, which was absolutely adorable, as she tried to pick up some sounds from the distance they are at. Her eyes close as she listens… "Captain?"
"Okay… Here is the plan…" she says…
With the Cult, they are chanting loudly as a Young Green Dragon marches out from her Grove as there is an elven woman restrained between two posts, her eyes wide with horror as she looks at the monster approaching her. "Tch another small one… No matter, you will fill my stomach momentarily…" The Dragon says, looking back to his cultists, "Your offering is accepted, go now and-"
That is when a roar echoes across the sky as I dive down towards the cultists and I land on the edge of the ruined keep that they are within, and I snarl at them. "So you are Skarrakkan…" I say, looking at the Green Dragon, "You're shorter than I expected!"
"It seems we have an interloper looking to interfere with my meal…" Skarrakkan says.
"Do with him as you…" the Green Dragon then pauses. "Hold on… I think I've seen you before…" The Green Dragon says, then it's eyes widen. "Oh I remember you! You're that bastard who scarred my beautiful tail with your talons!"
"I don't remember you…" I say, not recalling if I had seen Skarrakkan before.
"Strange, I remember you, and you're a lot smaller than I remember." Skarrakkan says, amused, "You also seem frailer, are you ill?"
"You must have confused me with somebody else…" I say, now realizing who he might be referring to.
"Well then I am sure you wouldn't mind me venting some pent up frustration!?" The Green Dragon roars as he charges at me… However, I was able to react sooner than the Green Dragon, and, once he was in range, I made the first move… Managing to act quickly, I swung my wings four times in quick succession, landing a flurry of flaming wing strikes before taking off into the air as fast as I could, getting as much distance between myself as I could. However, Skarrakkan, despite still reeling from the flurry of blows, charges after me, only… For a sound like thunder to ring out and hit Skarrakkan square in the chest, the dragon snarls at the surprise attack, and with that, the Cultists turn to see my team arrive… "You came with reinforcements!?"
"What do you think I am, stupid? I was thr runt of my clutch, so of course I'd ask for some help getting rid of an interloper!" I would say with a cheeky smile, but Skarrakkan would continue his charge at me… He would snap at me with his jaws, only for a flap of my wings to push me out of the way, but his claws would have better luck… While I would dodge the right hook, the left uppercut across my chest found purchase, ripping through my hide… The damage wasn't too bad, but it was obvious that he had not managed to sink his talons in deep enough…
Down below, Elariymmsarl and Terrax would take on their true forms, a beautiful young Silver Dragon and a handsome young Amethyst Dragon, and both would move as fast as they could to join me, all the while, the few cultists that were armed begin to rush over to where the Captain, Eryna, and Fiona were taking their positions, in which our Half-Drow made the first move… Pulling out a Chili Pepper from her bag, she smiles as she chews it up and swallows it whilst speaking words in Elvish that I could not hear from my position… However she would then breathe in deeply and, with a strong exhale, would breathe out a plume of poison gas, causing the three closest cultists to her out of the 6 there to instantly start choking on their own blood. One of the remaining 3 cultists would charge forward towards Eryna, who would seemingly welcome his oncoming strike with his sword.
His blade would cut as deep as it could, piercing her scales as she grits her teeth with an insane smile on her face and a moan escaping her lips, almost as if in response to the pain. Fiona, after that, would move next, smiling as she picked up a dagger and threw it at the cultists who attacked Eryna, the blade finding it's Home in the duped idiot's neck, causing a spray of blood to drench Eryna. "Thanks Fiona…" Eryna would say, bemused.
"Your welcome!" Fiona would joke as the Captain would take aim and fire at one of the Cultists and pierce his brain… The only one still armed just stands there, laughing… "What's so funny?"
"You should have killed me first!" The cultists says, laughing as his hands crackle with arcane and divine energy.
Meanwhile, in the sky, I begin making my move on Skarrakkan, slashing at him with my talons and striking with my heel directly in the same move, burning him at the same time. The Green Dragon, getting really annoyed with me, as he should be, and seeing he is surrounded, ascends above us even further before turning around. "You got lucky with those first blows of yours, but I will not be killed by the likes of you…!" He then breathes in deeply.
"A BREATH ATTACK!" Terrax shouts, which Elariymmsarl and I look in shock. Despite the fact that I had been able to brace myself for the oncoming attack, the scent of the vapors rushed into my nose and caused me to start hacking and coughing, taking in far more poison than I intended to, leaving me dizzy, and barely able to maintain consciousness. "Klauthiym!"
"Terrax, you tend to him, I'm tagging in!" Elariymmsarl shouts as he charges forward whilst Terrax rushes over to me. Terrax would place one of his claws on my chest as I struggled to breathe. I would later find out that Skarrakkan had used a very peculiar form of poison that had acidic properties when inhaled… For Elariymmsarl, boy he was passed, charging at full speed to the Green Bean, his claws were alight with divine fury as he made a powerful swipe at Skarrakkan's wing, ripping the membranes clean open and the Dragon roared in agony as he struggled to stay aloft… With this, despite my internal injuries, I dove straight at the Green Dragon… Landing a powerful kick into the green menaces chest and sending it hurtling away, but I wasn't done… it was time to end this fight once and for all… breathing as deeply as I could, I utilized the last of my strength into my stomach.
"MOUNTAIN DRAGON…!" I shouted breathing in… "ROOOOOAAAAAAR!" With one strong exhale and the pressure from flexing my abdominal muscles, I unleashed my breath weapon at it's Full Power, lighting up the night sky as Skarrakkan roared in agony as he began to fall.
"NO! I CAN'T BE BEATEN! NOT BY THE LIKES OF…" Skarrakkan shouted as he tried to defy his fate. "YOOOOOOUUUU!" From below, the Cult Fanatic smiles as he prepares his daggers for and charges in, casting Spiritual Weapon in the shape of a Dragon's Claw as he rushes forward. Eryna, still bemused about being covered in blood and having her moment ruined by Fiona, charges forward and breathes in deeply before releasing a burst of fire from her mouth, burning the man, who just laughs as he takes it… However, Fiona and the Captain land the final blows… The Captain's final shot rips the Cultist's arm off, but, that is when everyone, including the fleeing Cultists who haven't managed to get far, looks up…
Much to the horror of all the cultists, they see their figurehead, Skarrakkan, becoming consumed by flames before his corpse crashes into the Alter, crashing hard… I would descend with a struggle, still heavily wounded… Thanks to my injuries, I don't land very gracefully, in which the Cultists look at me and ready their weapons to try and kill me, only for them to look into my eyes as I glare at them, my eyes glowing brightly as I glared at them, snarling at them with my teeth bared… However, what I wouldn't notice is that the tattoos on my face would glow brightly, and, to those who were looking at me, would see two Ancient Red Dragons standing before me, angrily, standing over me protectively. I would then let out one last display of my fire for the cultists to see… From deep within my chest, this display came out with all the force I could muster, and, all the cultists looked in both awe and fear as I glared at them, and quickly, they would all retreat as fast as they could, screaming as they did so, begging for mercy. I would then collapse as the group would gather around me, with Eryna, Elariymmsarl, and Terrax tending to my injuries, whilst the two dragons returned to human form. However… I would feel a familiar warmth in my chest, one from my inner fire growing just a bit stronger, all before my world turned black…
I would wake up to the sound of birds chirping… And a warm hand brushing against my brow, at the base of my horn… "Ugh…" I would say, feeling like just breathing was agony, yet not having the strength to even scream my discomfort.
"Shhhhh…" A Gentle Voice would speak to me… "You did well last night… Rest now, soldier… You've earned it…"
"Water…" I would say, feeling parched from last night… A Water Skin would be brought to my teeth as it would then be emptied into my mouth, allowing me to get a drink that quenches my thirst and soothes my throat from its pain. My eyes struggle to open as I look at everyone and they seem to be fixing breakfast for everyone, which appears to be a stew of some kind, it also seems they are making two pots full of it.
"Hey, Klauthiym, you're finally awake!" Terrax says, smiling at me. "Hungry?"
"Starving… I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast yesterday…" I would say, my throat was hoarse, and I really was hungry. That is when the two dragons in human form bring me one of the pots.
"We raided the larder of the castle, which was actually filled with plenty of edibles… Seems the Cultists had actually been renovating the place to reuse it!" Terrax explains, "Though, never mind that for now, eat up!" I weakly nod and begin digging into the pot laid before me, enjoying the flavors they had put into the thick broth, my ravenous hunger spurring me on. "How is it?"
"It's absolutely divine…" I would say, smiling, "Who made it?"
"I did." The Captain says, petting my head above my horn, much to my surprise. "That was really impressive how you fought off that Young Green Dragon almost single-handedly… Had you not been injured by the Breath Weapon so badly, something tells me you would've ripped that Green Dragon a new one on your own."
"Well I didn't…" I said, not trying to put myself down, "But the fact that I managed to hold out against it in such a way actually does something for my pride." I smile proudly of myself, "Though I came so close to dying that it isn't funny, that is the closest I've been to biting the big one in years…"
"Well you did amazing!" Elariynnsarl says, smiling at me, "Besides…" He looks to Terrax who nods, "We had discussed it last night and… We actually think that, whatever treasure is in that Young Dragon's Hoard, you should have it for yourself."
"Wait what!?" I say, shocked.
"It's true, you did most of the fighting back there, while we only provided support or tagged in." Terrax says, "Besides, part of us thinks the Cultist may have coffers of their own somewhere around here that we can raid, so we're not coming out of this completely empty-handed. You're just getting the Dragon's Hoard because it was your kill."
"Wow… Thanks guys…" I would say, shocked, but also honored to have some comrades who would be honorable enough to allow me to keep what I killed. "Then let's make this a rule between us… All of us…" I stand, struggling, but doing so with the strength that I can muster. "If we ever come across a treasure hoard that is being guarded by a creature of power, then the person who did the most good in the trials leading up to it previously will be the one to get first claim…" I then move my wing forward, in which the Captain nods, and then the others do so as well, all of us making a solemn vow now on how we would split our treasures going forward.
After breakfast, we would begin to explore the ruins, looking to see if we could find anything at all… We started by going to one of the broken towers, which, surprise surprise, is locked… "Fiona, can you pick the lock?" The Captain asks.
"Way ahead of you…!" She says, bringing out a set of lockpicks, and she begins humming a tune as she starts moving them around. "A-one, and a-two, and an Alohomora!" After she says that, the lock clicks and she opens the door. "Open Sesame!" We take a look inside and, much to our surprise, we actually find what can only be described as something of an herbalist's laboratory, with all sorts of potion ingredients lining the walls, with what appear to be books and notes in carefully protected shelves, with a table, a cauldron, measuring tools, all sorts of things one would need for such experimentations. Unfortunately for me, I don't know how to shapeshift like Elariymmsarl or Terrax do, so I was stuck staying outside as the others began to investigate the room.
The Captain, taking a look around actually manages to find what appears to be a a small chest, which she places upon the table in the middle of the room, "Please?" She asks, looking to Fiona, who begins to check to see if it had any traps connected to it.
"It's clean!" She says, and then begins working on the lock, in which she would find 3 Greater Healing Potions. "Oh sweet! You struck gold boss!" The Captain smiles as she puts her loot away. Fiona and Terrax would each end up finding loose potions as well and put them into their bags whilst Eryna would actually find something inside one of the drawers.
"Hello, what's this?" She asks, pulling out what appears to be a large tooth of some kind. Everyone turns to her and Terrax walks over.
"Oh I think I know what that is! It's a Dragontooth Dagger!"
"A Dragontooth Dagger?"
"Yes, those are made from the teeth of Black Dragons, they are able to generate an extremely powerful acid, good for destroying locks!" Fiona says, smiling as she looks at it. "Better keep that close, just in case." Eryna would nod as she carefully wrapped it up and put it into her bag…
"WHAT THE!?" Elariymmsarl would shout, looking into a book he had found, everyone turning to him.
"What did you find?" The Captain asks, looking at him.
"Take a look!" He then shows it to the Captain, who quickly begins to read it.
"We need to get this to the Lord of Evenfall as soon as we get back!" The Captain says, to which everyone nods. After looking through this tower, we begin making our way towards one of the other towers, and, surprisingly, it's unlocked… It was also, surprisingly, large enough for me to enter inside. However, the moment we opened the door to the tower, it seemed my bad luck had struck yet again. There were two draconic lizards in front of us, and, much to the sickening of my stomach, their breath reeked of poison.
Eryna would be the first to move, aiming a finger outwards towards one of the creatures, an aura of cold forming on her fingertip, with a blast flying out from it, hitting the first of these creatures to react to the cold. The Creature would hiss at the feeling of could and would charge forward and attack Eryna, biting at her heel, causing the Half-Drow to moan rather than scream, whilst it's tail would whip around and slap Fiona right on the rear, the woman yelping in pain. Not appreciative of her rear getting slapped, would draw a sword and aim it at the lizard-like creature, striking it right on the flank with barely more than a flesh wound. Terrax would jump forward, his human hands transforming into it's true self as he would lash out forward with his claws, ripping deeply into the creature. The Second creature, apparently the mate of the first, would charge forward, it's fangs glowing as it bites into Terrax, who groans in pain, but that isn't all it has coming, for it would whip it's tail around, only for the Amethyst Dragon to block the oncoming attack.
The Captain, aiming her weapon at the second creature, would fire and hit it directly in the leg. Raising my wing, I would lash out with my talons, slashing down on the second creature, and then strike again with the palm, a burst of golden fire erupting from my wing as I did so. Elariymmsarl would reach out with his claws, only to miss by a narrow margin. Jumping backwards, Eryna would aim her hand and fire three darts of pure magic from her hand striking the first lizard twice. The Creature would lash out with it's teeth again, only to miss, however, the tail, glowing like the teeth of the other one did, lashes out and strikes Eryna on the buttocks, the half-Elf moaning with pleasure as she does so. Fiona, now deciding that these things were nothing but perverts, lashes out with her rapier, only to miss in her fervor.
Terrax would strike out with his claws again, and they would find purchase into their target of the second creature. The Second creature would lash out with it's teeth, only to miss by a wide margin, however… The upcoming attack strikes Terrax right between the legs, and… Even for a Dragon that is painful, as he groans loudly and falls to the ground, prone. The Captain would once again take aim, only this time firing her shot at the first of the two creatures. I would then rake out with my talons and slash the second creature with them before smacking it with my wing bone, which, with a flash of fire and force, snaps the first creature's neck. Eryna, deciding to go for broke, swallows another chili and blasts the creature with a burst of ice from her mouth. The creature, seeing it's mate be killed, decides to focus entirely on killing Eryna if it can, making one last stand before it's death, only for both of it's attacks to miss as Eryna's scales deflect the attacks. Fiona, taking this chance to focus her aim, strikes the creature in the eye, the creature reeling back as it roars in agony, with Terrax rushing forward and putting the creature out of its misery by slashing open its throat with his claws.
Once the creatures were dead, we make our way into the room itself, in which, much to our shock, we manage to find what can only be considered something of a hoard, as there is enough treasure here that it seems the Cultist had gotten their hands on and pooled together. However, there was plenty of stuff here that is extremely valuable and of cultural significance that was reported stolen, so the group decided to only take a portion for themselves whilst the rest would be used as evidence against the person implicated in the book. The entire group, taking account what they could manage to carry from the hoard, they had recovered:
3,500 Copper Coins
1,500 Silver Coins
100 Gold Coins
A Small Gold Bracelet
A Silver Ewer
A Pair of Carved Bone Statuettes of rather fine quality
A Small Mirror set in a Painted Wooden Frame
A Potion of Resistance
And
A Driftglobe.
Once we have collected all that we can carry, and everything has been split amongst the party, we decide to check out the grove in which Skarrakkan had exited and see if we can find his lair there… Thankfully, it isn't hard to find thanks to the huge tree that stands in the center of it. Walking along the base of the tree, we begin to look for the entrance to the Dragon's Lair, only for something to poke it's head out of the underbrush… It is a little black head with golden eyes. "Great Dragon?" It asks, looking out, "Where is the Jade One?"
"Jade One? You mean Skarrakkan?" I ask, looking at the little creature, in which it walks out of the underbrush, revealing it is a small creature that looks like a miniature humanoid dragon, like a Dragonborn but smaller.
"A Kobold?" Elariymmsarl asks, shocked. "What is somebody like you doing here?"
"We serve the Great Jade Dragon… Though it seems Jade One is dead…" The Kobold says, "I am Coal! Great Red Dragon, do you have a home?"
"No, I am currently looking for one…" I then look at my group and I begin thinking, "Although… There is a mountain nearby that I could claim as my own, at least for my Initial Lair…" I say, smiling. "Is your clan with you?"
"Yes! One of Five clans native to the area!" Coal says.
"Five Clans!?" The Captain says, "Why haven't there been jobs listed for hunting your kin?"
"Our Clans don't seek to cause problems with Humans or the City Folk, we prefer to keep to ourselves, unless a Great Dragon is involved…!" Coal says, "Can introduce you to the Clans if you are willing to take us all under your command!"
"Hmmmm…" I would say, thinking about it. "I will need to know what each clan is capable of and what they can do before I decide anything, but I would like to meet each of the clans and get to know them. But you are not my slaves, unlike other dragons, I would prefer if you served me because you choose to of your own free will, not because your blood and reverence demands it…"
"I think the Clan would like that!" Coal would say, smiling. "And since you defeated the Jade One, his hoard is yours to claim!" She then leads us behind the foliage of the low lying bushes and we follow her down some tunnels, leading towards where her clan has been busy digging away tunnels, but they all stop as soon as Coal walks in with me and the others, all of them looking at me in awe as I follow Coal into the finished Hoard Chamber. Inside, my eyes widen at how much Skarrakkan has in his hoard already:
8,400 Copper Coins
36,000 Silver Coins
10,800 Gold Coins
540 Platinum Coins
6 Pieces of Tourmaline
6 Pieces of Spinel
6 Pieces of Jet
6 Pearls
6 Pieces of Garnet
6 Pieces of Chrysoberyl
4 Gold Rings Set with Bloodstones
4 Silver Necklaces with Gemstone Pendants
An Elemental Gem (Earth)
A Potion of Resistance
A Bag of Holding
A 3rd Level Spell Scroll
A Potion of Fire Breath
A Greater Potion of Healing
An Alchemy Jug
The Skull of a Fiend that has been turned into a food bowl
A highly decorated drum that could be used for ceremonial purposes
A small shrine with a statuette, a brazier, and an altar dedicated to a god, one that appears to be worshiped by the Kobolds and, possibly, the Cultists.
A rather crudely made flute that has a divine sensation coming from it
A Battle Standard that appears to contain the image of a dragon biting it's tail
What appears to be an extensive historical record in the form of carefully knotted strings
and
A treatise on alchemy etched on steel cylinders
If it were possible, my eyes would be flying out of my skull trying to figure out how I had happened to end up getting so much reassure at once, but then again, I'm not going to complain now that it is mine as I walk down towards the Hoard and I immediately walk over to it and begin to lie down… Feeling an urge I didn't know I had been satisfied as I have the beginning of my own hoard, one I had one in the fires of battle, and from the honor of my new friends, and I can only smile as I look at it all. "Thank you…" I looked at the group, a conflict brewing in my mind, "Guys… I think I'm going to rest here for a while… If… If you don't mind, could you return to town and complete the quest without me? I think it would be easier on the city if they didn't know I was involved, at least for now…"
"That doesn't seem too unreasonable!" The Captain says, a smile on her face as she rubbed my head, and with a nod, my friends depart, making their way back towards the city.
"KLAUTHIYM!" A Voice screamed into my mind once they were gone, almost startling me as I lay down… "Finally I got back through! I was so worried about you!"
"Sorry to scare you like that, Galtherin!" I would say mentally, "But I promise you, I have quite the tale to tell!"
"Oh, I would love to hear it! Now, about the new home I promised you!"
"Actually… I think I'll stick with the Windscar Peaks, if you don't mind…"
"Oh? What brought this on?"
"Well… I think that all comes down to my story that I would like to tell!" For the next few hours I would recount the tale of the adventure I had, and sent mental images to Galtherin about the Hoard I had obtained, both from my victory over Skarrakkan, and the honor of my new friends, and there were plenty of laughs for how I had barely managed to intimidate and lie my way into getting a few cultist afraid of me, more than a few shaky gasps from how I had described Skarrakkan's poison nearly knocking me out of the sky, and a cheer or two from how I had practically taking the Green Dragon by surprise with my first Flurry of Blows.
"Now that is quite a tale, my child! Now I think you should rest up for now, and get your hoard moved to your new lair when it is safe to move it!" Galtherin says, "And I think you should take some of the kobolds to help you find an entrance to your lair that isn't on the side of a mountain."
"I plan on it… For now, I think I'm just going to take a rest and recover from the trials I've just suffered through… Good night… Lothtor…"
"Good night… My son…" Galtherin would say gently as I would drift off into sleep… It would then be in my dreams that I would dream of a time I wish had been… Where, instead of being born a Red Dragon… I was born as a Green Dragon, raised by Galtherin as a Green Dragon, with Nuada as my snobby older clutchmate, and the two of us would cause all sorts of havoc in the woods whilst hiding from Ciymarux and his brood. These would be dreams that would ease the pain of my body… A Dream that I had wished had been my reality… Still… Even if I didn't have the best start… I wouldn't change what had happened for the world… What happens when I wake up from this dream… Is a Story for Another Day…