Crystal Hearts Part 4

[MiscChaos]

Alena curiously looks upon the pendant that Lene is wearing, sure that she hadn't seen it before this point. If Lene wore it under her clothes, the lamia would have seen it when they went to bed last night. If she had put it on with the rest of her armor, then it would have been then that it was seen. Instead, it seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Curiosity wins out and she just has to ask her questions. "Why, that pendant seems to have come out of thin air, Lene Soryana. Might I ask where it was hidden up to this point? And is there something special about it, or is it a coat of arms?"

Hearing Sasha speaking to her, Alena turns and gives her a good morning bow before merely nodding her head. With how the two of them bolted off when Kathryn was originally abducted, there should have been no question about her state of readiness regarding getting her back.

[TCELESBHSUP]

Lynxy: Your kiss is returned- and in quite a wonderful manner. It transforms from a quick kiss to the drow taking a light hold of your chin, tilting his head and kissing you passionately. His tongue playfully dances with yours for the briefest moment, and when he pulls back, you're flushed and slightly flustered. That was a surprise. "I'd certainly like to hope you won't be pressed for time then. And yes, the dragon- I've heard." Giving the rubies a quick look over, he would pocket them and wave a hand. Soon enough, a grand total of ten thousand gold pieces were upon the counter. "Do stay safe. I'd hate to see such a beautiful woman end up burned to a crisp by a red dragon. We still have to have tea together." Despite yourself, his tone ends up forcing a small laugh out of you as you head out. The mithral chain was plenty easy to find, and wasn't really that bad- it fit fine enough, at the very least, to protect your body.

Misc: "Put it on while we were coming down. Fell behind a bit for a reason." Lene said quite simply. "Special amulet, though. Only works when worn by a Soryana. Dragons are terrifying things- this little trinket counters that completely. Both for me and everyone around me." So then, an amulet that negated a dragon's terrifying aura... Useful!

[TCELESBHSUP]

ALL PLAYERS ARE BEING SHADOWED.

Everyone meets up out the front of the tavern, where Azmerelda is waiting. She hands off several scrolls to the party, explaining their usage- they were scrolls that would teleport everyone to the base of the mountain that Kathryn had been taken to. Any question of how she knew where they were to go was ignored, before you all teleported to the particular place. Your nostrils and eyes are immediately assaulted by ash and soot, the ground beneath your feet warm. Almost uncomfortably so. The sky is darkened by a cloud of soot and ash, as you all stand at the base of a large volcano.

"And here we are, everyone." Azmerelda says. The little elf had already pulled her muffler up over her mouth and nose, looking quite irate. Her little dragon was nowhere to be seen. From here, there was no turning back. "Hopefully you've all prepared enough."

[Kuragari]

ALL PLAYERS ARE BEING SHADOWED.

Everyone meets up out the front of the tavern, where Azmerelda is waiting. She hands off several scrolls to the party, explaining their usage- they were scrolls that would teleport everyone to the base of the mountain that Kathryn had been taken to. Any question of how she knew where they were to go was ignored, before you all teleported to the particular place. Your nostrils and eyes are immediately assaulted by ash and soot, the ground beneath your feet warm. Almost uncomfortably so. The sky is darkened by a cloud of soot and ash, as you all stand at the base of a large volcano.

"And here we are, everyone." Azmerelda says. The little elf had already pulled her muffler up over her mouth and nose, looking quite irate. Her little dragon was nowhere to be seen. From here, there was no turning back. "Hopefully you've all prepared enough."

Caryn gazed up at the volcano, holding his short sword in one hand idly. "I would have figured the dragon would have been more inventive in picking its hiding place. A volcano is so cliché."

He looked about, looking towards the resident Dragon Hunter. "Well, lead on oh mighty slayer of Dragons."

[Lynxy]

Camilla looked up at the volcano briefly, then pulled the collar of her shirt up over her nose with a soft cough. The heat was already uncomfortable and she suddenly had a great idea for another spell she would like. Too bad it was too late now. She was going to have to deal with the temperature. She silently rebuked herself for the oversight, for having been too focused on attack without concern for how she was going to protect herself from a red dragons awesome breath. "Attack will be our defense" was her primal mind's echoing reassurance.

"I don't suppose this dragon has a name that any of us know, does it?" She asked the assembled group as she searched for a path up or into the volcano. If all else failed, perhaps they could prey on the legendary vanity of dragons.

[Sanaki]

Marisa shifted uncomfortably where she stood shifting her tentacles so that they covered her face from the ash coughing a little before idly wondering how they would exactly scale the imposing land mass, Marisa was never exactly fond of hiking and with the extra 'cargo' she was carrying this was going to be an even larger hassle than it would have normally been, "Not that i know of, i'm not educated on dragons sadly." she replied shrugging before crossing her arms as her tentacles switched to carrying her.

[MiscChaos]

Alena's face goes steely as her goal is placed right in front of her after the teleport. This is it, no turning back! Time to go get Kathryn and dispatch the overgrown lizard that abducted her in the first place. She grips Kon's shoulder to reassure the girl now that they're so close to the dragon that scared and injured her so badly last time. She finds herself wishing she had something to cover her face with though since she refuses to use her Cleric's Vestments to do that job. They're a link to her past and she's not going to sully them like that. She'll just have to live with it as they press forward.

"Beyond Chromatic Red Dragon, I do not think that any of us would know of the fiend's name. No one exactly thought to ask it during our last encounter." She says in response to Camilla's question.

[Motoko]

"i don't think any of us could speak dragon anyways.." Sasha would comment pulling her cloaks hood over her head looking up at the mountain almost coldly, they had waited around WAY to long for this... A day was too long. Gripping her new bow with a frown, notching one of the magic arrows she hoped they weren't too late...

[Meep Meepersons]

Azmer looked about, and spotted an obviously beaten path. She expected cultists when she heard the dragon did not simply kill the whole party and merely took Kathryn instead. At any rate, the party was about to move and she didn't want them to take one more step without drinking her sketchy looking potions. "Alright everyone, take one of these potions here in these crates and drink them right away. The effects last for forty-eight hours. It will allow you to resist the flames of the dragons breath. I say resist, not stand against. If you are caught in the fire you will still be burnt, just not as bad." She explained clearly. In fact, she eventually downed one herself. By the look on her face it was REALLY thick and tasted a bit off. Though her lush behavior might just make her weak to less then luxury flavors.

Potion effect. On successful reflex saves to take half damage with fire spells or abilities, causes no damage instead of half. Failing results in 5 points less damage then it would normally be.

Kon also took a potion and downed it with far less trouble then Azmer. She was almost too eager to consume the potion given. Most likely due to her last run in with the beasts offspring that almost killed her. Her shoulders hung low, and she was dragging her feet. Her arms were pulled in to her center and her hands choked up on the ax that Kath had gotten made for her. It was obvious she was not in good spirits.

[Alaena]

Lyris looks over the mountain before her, remembering everything she knew about dragons in her head, which though not very much, may still benefit her in the fight to come. When Azmer reveals the energy resistance potions, the sorceress thanks her, "This will probably save lives, I appreciate it." Lyris grabs one and gulps it down, then waits expectantly for directions on how to approach the volcano and the dragon.

[Kuragari]

Caryn downed the potion readily enough-he'd tasted his share of strange concoctions before and thus didn't really notice the taste. It helped that the smell of this place was filling his mouth, thus the potion was more of a boon than anything. "Well, times awasting, and who knows what is being done to your good friend." He started up the path, making sure to move silently along so as not to attract attention from any possible cultist guards.

[TCELESBHSUP]

Everyone begins to move up the path as quietly as they can, keeping out of sight as much as possible and keeping watch. The massive, winding path eventually lead up to the entrance of a large cavern. One way into the volcano, it seemed. It was fairly easy to see inside, natural crystals lighting the area- most of the party recognised these particular crystals, having made their first appearance in the necromancer's lair. To the newcomers, they were simply pretty crystals. "Keep close behind me." Lene spoke, drawing her bastard sword and shrugging her tower shield off her back before walking inside.

[MiscChaos]

Alena downs the potion without a second thought. Anything that gives her an advantage over the large scaly beast is worth any cost in her book. From her research, they're already going to have their work cut out for them. Seeing Kon in the slumps, Alena moves over to the tiger-girl and places a soothing hand on her shoulder. "Do not despair, little Kon, we are close. The dragon may have caught us off guard last time, but this time we know it is coming. This time we are ready for it. This time we will win. They shall not take anything from us ever again." Her voice starts off kind, but slowly grows more steely and more determined as she speaks, by the end almost talking to herself more than Kon. Realizing that, she snaps out of it and says, "So let us go get Kathryn Fallstar, shall we?" She says, leading Kon by the hand towards the path. She flinches when she sees the necromancer crystals, but that's the only reaction she shows about them.

[Motoko]

Sasha glances at the poition, partaking of it with a smile, this would certainly help matters! she shakes off the bad tasting concoction rather easily, quite used to having drank some bad brews by now....Either way she would give a soft bow to azmer "thank you!" she would say with a smile before turning back to the matter at hand, continuing to move along quitely, sticking close to alena frowning deeply as she saw the krystals..." I wonder what this means..."

[Lynxy]

Camilla rolled her eyes and took a bottle from Azmer as she moved toward the path. "I've never heard of an adult dragon that couldn't understand common. Let's not make the mistake of assuming this one is so remarkably stupid that it's not up to the challenge." She downs the flask in one continuous, but difficult, drought before smashing the bottle enthusiastically on the side of the path. "You're wrong Alena. We won't have to be ready when it comes for us, we're coming for it" With a more than slightly maniacal grin, she turned and entered the cavern.

[Kuragari]

Caryn briefly wishes he had the knowledge of a particular bardic spell, one his mentor had used on occasion when questing around with loud and obnoxious party members. It wasn't that they were being loud or obnoxious, but the chit-chat made it all the more likely that, assuming there was someone keeping watch, that they would lose the element of surprise. Oh well, maybe at some later point he would learn the so-called Zone of Silence spell.

For now, he contended himself with turning to the party and gesturing for them to keep their voices to, at best, a whisper.

[Alaena]

Lyris casts a mage armor spell on herself before following in behind Caryn. She was definitely nervous and anxious, but the sorceress was determined to hold everything together. She had an array of offensive spells ready to be tapped as soon as the dragon came into sight. Nonetheless, she made it a point to stay at the back. Lyris uses her enchanted staff as part walking stick on the rough, rocky path to avoid any miss steps due to being unused to this kind of terrain.

[Meep Meepersons]

Azmer looked about and witnessed the crystals that she and her apprentice whom betrayed her were studying before, save these ones were a light blue rather then a pinkish color. She suddenly became more serious and a bit more urgent. "We must hurry, I fear Kathryn Fallstar may be being made subject to experiments of the body and soul." Rubbing her arm with a shudder, she remembered briefly at the power she had lost due to such experiments. "Be prepared for things other then dragons within! I sense something more then just dragons afoot here..." Azmer, having not really intended on getting involved, drew her dagger despite herself. It was a tiny dagger, but a weapon all the same.

Kon, having heard Alena and Azmer, attempted to shake away her fears and anxieties, and it seemed to be working, a bit. For now, she was able to at least stand up straight, albeit shakily. "K-Kaph!..."

[TCELESBHSUP]

As the party progressed deeper into the caverns, they would come across a forked path. One way, to the party's left, was littered with bones, and the other utterly pristine. Well, for a cavern inside of a volcano. However, a low chanting was heard from the cleaner path. Dead silence filled the air otherwise. That was until a shifting was heard in the left path. Several red-scaled lizardfolk- six of them, it seemed- were walking down the path in the direction of the group. Unfortunately, there was no place to hide, the party being spotted almost immediately in the tight cavern. They readied their weapons, glaring at the group before charging!

Map

INITIATIVES:
Ol'gerr Wulf (24) K7
Camilla Ulalume (20) J6
Alena Allison (19) G5-6, H5-6
Lizardfolk #2 (19) D4
Lizardfolk #6 (18) A2
Lene Soryana (18) F8 FORGOT HER ENTIRELY. DERP.
Kon (17) G4
Sasha (16) G7
Caryn Janeva (16) H7
Lyris Ashweldt (15) J7
Lizardfolk #5 (15) A3
Lizardfolk #1 (15) D5
Marisa Ne'lin (14) J5
Lizardfolk #3 (11) C3
Azmerelda Bitankoph (11) K5
Lizardfolk #4 (10) B4
Drakonius Nihilius (9) K4

************************************

Shadow Ol'gerr: In an instant, the elf nocks an arrow and sends it flying towards Lizardfolk #1, striking it solidly in the shoulder and causing him to give a shout of pain. (-5 HP)

Shadow Camilla: Following up Ol'gerr's attack, she would launch an Eldritch Blast, striking the same lizard straight in the chest. (-18 HP)

[MiscChaos]

Hearing chanting and keeping in mind what Azmerelda said about experiments, something that made her see red and force herself not to run off ahead of the group on her own, Alena is about ready to break her control and end the chant as fast as she can when lizardfolk appear. She would have let them go as they didn't block her path, but then they spotted the party and made to interfere with her goals. That brought them from being a simple annoyance to needing to die this very second. Still, it could be very foolish to jump out into the middle of a crowd without knowing the damage capabilities of her opponents. It's much better to allow them to come to her and have them jump into her group to be defeated in that way.

With her thoughts gathered, she prepares herself to launch a spell. Gripping the Holy Symbol of Meep in her hand and focusing on it, she begins the incantation needed to bring about the Spiritual Weapon and order it to attack Lizardfolk #1 since it has already been weakened.