Dragon's Demise

Utilizing one of Malkarion's scrolls of Break Enchantment, Jack the Rogue freed Rekk the Barbarian from his petrified state after having a close encounter with a Gorgon.

The group continued their venture through the Shadow Rift, encountering a few Ephemeral Hangmen on the way.
Tereus the Ninja sneaked ahead most of the time, and was first to encounter the mysterious biers.
Flashes of pale blue light attracted his attention, and when he shot the priestess at the entrance of the cave, he attracted the room's other occupants attention towards the group.

The barbarian charged headlong, hoping to catch the Blackguard offguard. He swiped his greataxe across, and severely wounded Malkarion. The ex-paladin smiled behind his full-plate visage, stating; "I'll have you begging for the sweet release of death", then struck Rekk with his bastard sword, expecting to cleave this infidel in half.
Meanwhile the other priestesses failed to hit the group with their Dark Staves' powers.
Shrugging off the inflicted damage, Rekk released Malakarion from life.


Wounded, and down on potions by the many fights they had endured to cross the ravine, the four at last came into an area suited for rest;
a skull-lit library with cushioned chairs and a comfortable temperature.
They easily figured out that the green skulls guarded the room's many tomes and magical furniture. While the others put their feet up, Tereus again sneaked ahead.
Wanting to find out if there was immediate danger through one of two exit tunnels, he came upon a grand room.

A black Dragon with strange, glowing purple markings covering its scales crouches in the center of the room.
Above it spins a black sphere that looks like frayed ebon cloth crumpled into a ball. A shard of stone the size of a dwarf fist hangs from a thin bronze chain about its neck.
Along the walls are cages, all of which hold wasted humanoids in ragged robes. The cages are so small and fit their bodies so closely that it seems they can do little more than twitch, which many of them are doing, as glowing blue energy trails from each of them like smoke towards the snarl of darkness above the Dragon.
The prisoner's eyes plead for release, be it freedom or death..

Quickly running back to his companions, the Elf is in time to view the end of a one-sided fight between the others and five flaming skulls.
While he was gone, they had (unintentionally) provoked them.
Without a resting place and with the dragon drawing the Art from many prisoners, they could not wait to defeat it.

Down on health, and low on supportive items the four still challenged the Dragon.
As each entered the grand room, captives withered and died.
Some frozen forever in a rictus of terror, while others seem almost maniacally gleeful in death.
The heroes, on the other hand, felt energized by their doom, seeing blue sparks fly from the captives corpses. Their wounds then knit together, healing them.

Despayr paused, both at the sudden entrance, and at the unexpected dying/healing effect.
"You see before you your doom! Soon this unraveling of the Weave will be a tear large enough to burst open altogether. Magic will be useless!"

Gaining confidence in their ability to defeat this strange empowered Dragon, the heroes fanned out. Striking from opposite sides each attacked with vigor.

At first Despayr shrugged it off, still feeling superior it full-attacked the barbarian. In 6 seconds the half-orc was shredded and ripped, his torn body thrown down, leaving it bleeding to die.
"What can you hope to acomplish in the face of a goddess's Chosen?"