The Fellowship of the Silent Observers Field Report(s) 103, 104
Following the departure of Kat, the group again encounters Davian, now King of the Dragons. King Davian offers the adventurers dragons to ride after they go through the proper training. (It is worth noting that these dragons are adolescents and are not the sort inclined to speak.)
Damian, the newest member of the group, goes into the dragon enclosure to greet the dragons. A few dragons approach and one, in particular, takes an interest in Damian. Damian names this golden dragon Agatha. The new friends take a walk to get acquainted, but Damian ends up being dragged by Agatha’s harness.
Brega goes in next to meet the dragons. She adopts a light blue dragon and names him, Thor. Fortunately for Brega, she seems to be on the same page with Thor.
Konrad follows and spends time with the dragons. Two dragons start checking him out and Konrad decides to take the red dragon for a walk. He names the dragon Vermithrax.
Dar-wynn adopts a gold dragon. The dragon is quite beautiful but they are not bonded well yet are a little more in sync than Damian and his dragon.
After a long day, the group enjoys a meal together. Following dinner, the group goes to a meeting with Val and all of the important denizens in town. Konrad tells the assembly that they made contact with Nethandric. This information gives them all a glimmer of hope.
Another important topic of the discussion is the location of Amicus. He resides in a cloud and now the gift of the dragons becomes quite clear.
The legend is that Amicus used to be a god but he so loved the land below that he stopped being a god.
With respect to the infection which has plagued this and other dimensions, there is hope! The group is presented with 3 vials of a cure. The treatment is size-dependent with 2 vials, for example, needed to cure a human.
It was also decided that the group would work on riding the dragons the next day.
Damian became curious about the special potions carried by Dar-wynn. He decided to take a few. The first potion granted him the ability to recover more quickly when resting at night. However, the 2nd potion negatively affected his strength. The 3rd potion was truly unique with the promise that once a week Damian will vomit up a gold coin. The 4th potion produced a “karma blast”.
Damian picked up a sleeping bag and went out to sleep with Agatha. The rest of the party studied the book. They also planned to stay in town a couple of days to prepare for the battle ahead. The townspeople are planning to take refuge in the mines.
After much thought, Dar-wynn names her dragon Hephaestus.
Back to the plan to evacuate the town, Val can’t fit in the caves so she will perch on the mountain above. King Davian prays and bids the group farewell. He tells the dragons to take care of their riders. Cantankerous gives the group more pixie dust as they depart.
The group heads out in the morning. It is eerily quiet flying through the air. Dar-wynn leads the formation. From their aerial vantage point, the adventurers can check on the progress of the infected horde.
The landscape changes beneath them. The dragons circle around looking for a place to set down for the night. A good hilltop, fairly steep, should provide a place to rest.
Dar-wynn consults the map to check the distance to their target – the cloud.
Next morning, the party sees groups of men assembled at the bottom of the mountain. Everyone quickly makes ready to resume the journey.
As time passes, the flight becomes monotonous with the dragons occasionally diving down for water or to eat a sheep.
Finally, the group arrives at the cloud. It is quite obvious that it is not a naturally formed cloud.
The dragons start landing. Damian and Brega land nicely, as does Dar-wynn. Konrad has a bumpy landing.
The group approaches an ancient door. Faces of creatures decorate the surface. These are ancient extinct creatures on a very, very ancient metal door.
Suddenly, a bark is heard, it is Judy-bug! The magical and immortal corgi stowed away on the flight.
With Judy-bug joining them, the adventurers enter a large room with a golden door. The door is flanked by two elaborately dressed statues. Along the eastern wall, there are stairs to a dais where a banquet table is lavishly set. Three figures sit at the table.
Damian is the first to speak up and say “hello”. The others look at each other commenting that the group is yet ‘another one looking for Amicus’ treasure’. The three temple attendants are trapped in the temple until the end of Amicus’ life.
The group insists that they can only go forward. Suddenly, Dar-wynn’s dragon comes into the temple hall and promptly poops.
The men at the table identify themselves as Shane, Westyr, and Farabellas. The temple attendants invite the adventurers to ask a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question before they proceed.
Damian asks if Amicus is forward (present). The answer is yes.
Brega asks if time as they know it is advancing. The attendants say ‘No’.
Dar-wynn asks, “Is there something in the room that will help us find Amicus?” The attendants say ‘Yes’.
The party examines the armor on the statues. Konrad also examines the dais and doors. Beyond one of the doors is a hallway filled with gas. The gas feels cool.
Konrad and Damian were the protective armor to explore the hallway. Down the hall are many alcoves with statues of large faces.
Damian and Konrad soon find themselves in battle with a metallic cobra. They beat the cobra but Konrad’s protective suit is damaged. He repairs the suit with a needle and thread.
Damian holds his shiny shield in the column of light at the end of the gaseous corridor. After a moment, Konrad joins Damian in an effort to interrupt the light.
They consider going into the light. But first, they get Judy-bug to try it out. She disappears, reappears falling and runs frightened out of the hall, out of the temple to sit with the dragons.
After terrorizing Judy-bug for science, Konrad and Damian run back to the light. Konrad grabs onto the lip of a wall face as he falls.
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Field Report continued…
To recap: Konrad left the hall of poisonous gas to mend his protective suit. Then, Konrad threw Judy Bug into the column or pillar of light.
The gas filling the hall is coming out of the statues' mouths. The statues are 30 feet off the ground. So when Konrad let go, he fell 30 feet and took some fall damage.
Konrad attempts to hit one of the statue’s eyeballs with a sling but it bounces off with no effect.
Dar-Wynn attempts to produce flame to hit the column of light from where she is standing in the other room, out of the way of the gas.
As soon as the flame hits the gas, it explodes and Konrad takes 56 damage!!! Damian also took significant damage.
Konrad and Damian take a break to heal each other before they continue.
Brega casts Rock to Mud to melt the first statue into mud, Dar-wynn turns the mud back to stone. This cuts the gas in the first alcove.
Dar-wynn and Brega attempt to repeat the process with the remaining statues. 2 statues are down. Dar-wynn picks up the 2nd statue’s porcelain green eye (which bounces like a super ball).
Damian casts a lightning bolt down the center of the hallway, igniting the gas but the column of the light is still there is no scorch mark on the wall behind.
Dar-wynn sprints toward the column of light, coming out in front of one statue. She closes the eyelids which close the mouth of the statue which shuts off the flow of gas coming from that statue.
Dar-wynn casts another flame to ignite the gas. She runs for the column again and comes out in front of the statue. She repeats the process until one statue remains spewing red gas. Soon, all of the statues have been deactivated so the gas is no longer a danger.
Konrad volunteers to step into the light and disappears, Dar-wynn follows. After a bit of hesitation, Brega and Damian also go into the light.
The party finds themselves standing on a platform in front of an infinity pool, apparently filled with acid.
Brega consults Judy Bug and ends up laying on the ground with the dog. Dar-wynn tosses the eyeball up in the air for Judy Bug. Judy Bug takes the eyeball to the corner and chews on it and brings it to Dar-wynn to throw again.
Dar-wynn thinks about the possibility of similar situations, hoping to think of something that might help the part in this situation. But for now, they rest.
Brega exhausted her water wand putting water into the pool to displace the acid – which turned out to only be a couple of inches on top of the water.
Dar-wynn dives into the water and swims into the hole. After 30 feet, she sees a light ahead but she feels claws grab her sides. Dar-wynn fights back against the creature… during combat, she makes her way towards the light to catch her breath before continuing to fight the creature.
The crab doesn’t follow… it stays in the tunnel. Dar-wynn intends to defeat the crab-creature so that it doesn’t attack the party when they eventually follow.
Fortunately, Dar-wynn manages to kill the crab-creature! Dar-wynn waits for the rest of the party to join her in the new location.
The room is bathed in a blood-red light. The massive stone statue of a knight is wearing gauntlets, right is flame, blue is icy. There are stairs going up on either side.
Konrad notices a seam around the statue’s waist suggesting movement. Movement from Judy Bug triggers the statue and it begins to quickly swing its arms at head-level.
The statue swings and hits everyone… once Judy Bug returns to the lower level, the statue stops swinging. Brega turns the store to mud to destroy it. Dar-wynn investigates but nothing of interest is found.
Dar-wynn takes the stairs to the upper level and investigates the door in the hallway. The wooden door is locked. Wind can be heard behind the door and felt at the bottom.
Damian attempts to hack the door apart. A piece flies off the door and down the hallway due to the force of the wind beyond the door.
Looking into the hole in the door, a great chasm can be seen and beyond that, a great reptilian monster paces back and forth on a ledge. Konrad identifies the creature as a basilisk.
Brega casts invisibility on Dar-wyn and herself to sneak onto the ledge. Brega transmutes rock to mud to cause the basilisk to fall and blow upward and fall again. It takes damage, one of its legs is broken.
Dar-wyn investigates the door at the end of the ledge. As Brega and Dar-wynn are covered in mud the creature can see them but they are careful not to look directly at the basilisk. Dar-wynn opens the door to discover a room with walls that can pivot but do not move when pushed. She discovers six levers and six glowing motes.
With some experimentation with the levers and motes, Dar-wynn has extinguished the wind. They avoid looking at the basilisk and discuss the next steps.
Unfortunately, Dar-wynn makes brief eye contact with the basilisk and is turned to stone. Brega attacks the creature and kills it by sending it falling once more. She flies down into the chasm to fill a water skin with basilisk blood to cover and cure Dar-wynn.
