Cast: Buzz, Spring, Twang, Sideh (cleric/ranger of Glordiadel, order of the Shield of Light), Konrad, Duranic.
8 - 11 pm EST 750 XP
What to do with our new capability to travel underground?
The five dragonholds were not all equivalent.
Blackgleam was the weakest of the five, and was destroyed by the dying Brass/Bronze dragon. Ripgut is our next target, next to Clawfast, which we just destroyed.
The Trondheim is probably withdrawn from Ripgut, gone south to guard the young. A doyle is a huge worm of negative energy. Ripgut is one of the most powerful below Talonstrike.
Underground access will save us a few days travel to Ripgut. There is an elder dragon commander, probably a Dracolich, Eum are there, and often demons are present if an attack is being prepared. Ripgut is known to do his own hunting, ranges further from the hold.
We want to lure Ripgut over to Tarkenia. He is one of the least intelligent of the dragons, but with great physical prowess. The dracolich likely advises him.
We will create an ambush and draw the dragon north by bringing fertile cows close to the border. We purchase some plump cattle, have the trueborn care for them, and get it ready to move close to the border around when we get to the dragonhold.
We cross over after securing our food-bait and then head across the border and into the Orange Wizard's tunnels. Our first two legs of passage are uneventful. After leaving the tunnels and get near the more shrouded territory we are noticed by something.
Near the end of our second day of travel we are surrounded by giant insects and arachnids. They are being followed by some heavily tainted woman, with many spiders in her hair and two warfans. She asks what Zouuvt (an undead-raising Tanar'i) do I serve? She is patrolling the border for the one who challenged her master; we see an image of an odd-looking dwarf (we met this one before, with the baby intelligent staff). She claims he stole from her master (the former Count Caldefor), "The Caldefor of Caldefor." She is the Marchioness of Uight, a part of Caldefor that used to be wondrous farmland. Greatclaw is apparently very angry with this dwarf. We allow her to carry on her way to the border.
On our way to the Dragonhold we pass groups of black eum on our way to the hold. This fortress is larger and more well constructed than the others we've seen. Slaves, groups of black eums, and some corrupted elementals, moving against the normal flow of wind. They could be a sign that the dimensional walls are breaking down in this area.
More undead (by an order of magnitude) than eum. The eum here are powerful and organized. A half-dozen lamias are moving off to the north-west, and a huge woman with many mutations riding as their leader. A Chaos Champion and her warband.