(S057) Blue Dragon Attacks

Overflying a petrified forest, the party suffers a harrowing ambush from a massive adult blue dragon that vaporizes the ship's cook and nearly kills Bastion before Barlo leaps from the crow's nest to ride the crashing beast. As they harvest its scales, wings, and breath glands, an elderly, time-displaced Grognard appears to warn them that their cursed tome holds the world-ending Karsus Avatar spell, unlocking dormant memories in Bastion's mind.

📝 Session Summary

The Wild Cards were called The Menagerie by some until they came up with the name The Wild Cards.

• Barlo: A grizzled tabaxi barbarian who has been doing some work for a network that one should be wary of.
• Bastion: An orphan human who spent his life studying magic and blades, even though his elder pushed him away from the sword. He replaced Reginald.
• Calliope: This bardic faun joined the party late when she needed to find help to save her homeland.
• Reginald: A leonin cleric who was off to show his family's royal background and would later find out there were secrets leading to him becoming a king.
• Sas: A tortle hermit was given an item of power and a quest.
• Shadow in the Snow: This tabaxi got a coin, and her curiosity set her on a path.

🎬 Scenes

• Scene 1: Barlo's Backstory — From The Bronze Canyon in Kampos. Gave up Tabaxi name, "Smiles". Help move people. On way to Eushia to help Black Road with a client. Currently on ship near Carrune.
• Scene 2: Bastion's Backstory — When Bastion Bladesinger was very young he lost both of his parents to a plague. He took care of himself as he taught himself how to use the rapier his father once wore. He lived in Dyrt and watched all of the great knights. He also had an interest in the ways of magic and he wished he could do both – use swords and excel in magic – like many elves he had heard about.
• Scene 3: Calliope's Backstory — Calliope was born into the nestled highlands of the Oraniad Mountains. The Skola Vale, wild and free, blessed by the gods and inhabited by whimsical Satyr and Faun. Deep within it among the lush valley, reside the Dawngreets, a long generational line of storytellers and lore keepers.
• Scene 4: Reginald's Backstory — He was born at home, a modest-sized mansion where his family lived a modest means – even though his father could never stop talking about how they were royalty and yet this was the only lands they currently possess. His childhood was generally a happy one full of several friends. He was an only child.
• Scene 5: Sas' Backstory — Sas was born on the continent of Oth'Mar – a content mostly inhabited by Tortles and is far to the south of the Carrune Isles.
• Scene 6: Shadow's Backstory — Deep in the snowy mountains high in the north, there lived a large group of Tabaxi, The Blinding Wild Clan.

📜 Missions & Quests

• Completed:
  • Established individual party origins and initial connections to the world of Dierde.
• Active / Discovered Threads:
  • Barlo's ties to the smuggling rings and the Black Road.
  • Bastion's mysterious past and fallout with Grognard.
  • Calliope's quest to save the Skola Vale.
  • Reginald's pursuit of his family's royal mint commission and claim in Neyer.
  • Sas's vision of the Cat Goddess Bast and journey to find her lost lands.
  • Shadow's golden coin and mystical calling from her clan shaman.

NPCs

S057: Blue Dragon Attacks

Date: 2023-09-02

Short

The party's seventh day aboard the airship began with combat training that lifted the crew's flagging morale, but quickly turned dire when Shadow became paralyzed after accidentally reading a cursed book. Bastion dispelled the enchantment and discovered the tome was far more dangerous than they realized. An hour later, an adult blue dragon attacked the airship in a devastating assault that left Calliope unconscious, killed the ship's cook, and nearly destroyed the vessel. The dragon revealed that someone had informed it of the party's route, suggesting they had been betrayed. In a desperate gambit, Barlo leaped from the crow's nest onto the dragon's back, clinging to it and slashing at its eyes while Bastion's magical missiles delivered the killing blow. Barlo survived the catastrophic fall when the dragon's corpse crashed to the ground, and the party spent the next nine hours harvesting valuable materials including wings, scales, breath glands, and the dragon's horn.

As they finished their work that night, an elderly version of Grognard appeared, struggling to maintain his presence across time. He revealed that the cursed book contained the actual Karsus Avatar spell, which he had stolen from Karsus, inadvertently causing the destruction of the old world of Toril. He explained that a specific cube was needed to read the book safely and mentioned its connection to Dendar the Night Serpent and dragon prophecies before vanishing mid-sentence. That night, Bastion experienced a restored memory of a younger Grognard explaining the book's true significance and suggesting that the spell might work if performed at the right time, as the current world could no longer control such high-level magic. The party now understood they carried an artifact of cosmic importance, though they were left with more questions than answers about the forces manipulating their journey and the mysterious Professor Joshua who had stolen Grognard's cubes.

Summary

The party awoke on the morning of their seventh day aboard the airship, flying over a vast expanse of petrified forest. Deep red petrified redwoods and bright yellow petrified pines stretched below them as they neared the shoreline, approximately a day and a half from their destination. The crew's morale had begun to slip, frustration mounting over recent detours and growing concerns about the ship's security. Shadow recalled that they were approaching Outding Refuge, an adventuring outpost to the south where an ancient dragon named Bill maintained a lair powerful enough to keep most travelers at bay.

To lift the crew's spirits, Barlo decided to conduct combat training with Calliope on the top deck. He taught her shield work and defensive techniques, sparring with her in a lighthearted manner while making jokes as if teasing a younger sister. The crew gathered to watch the display, their morale visibly improving as they enjoyed the show. Calliope picked up several useful pointers, and the atmosphere aboard the ship brightened considerably.

Meanwhile, Shadow settled in to read what she thought was a book about rock golems. However, she had accidentally picked up a different tome—a mysterious, handwritten book with varying writing styles and white X markings covering its back. As she began reading, a strange tingle spread through her body, and within moments she found herself completely paralyzed, unable to move anything except her eyes. The book's incomprehensible text seemed to have no clear thesis or purpose, yet it held her consciousness trapped in an unnatural trance.

Artie, Shadow's companion, noticed her unresponsiveness after about two minutes. He tried to alert Barlo by snapping and nudging at him, but Barlo was preoccupied with the training session and initially dismissed the interruption. Eventually, Artie's persistence paid off, and Barlo looked over to see Shadow sitting completely still, her eyes moving but her body frozen. He called out to her with no response, then shouted for assistance as he realized something was terribly wrong.

Bastion arrived quickly and assessed the situation. He kicked the cursed book away from Shadow and shook her, observing a brief gray mist rise from her body. Despite his efforts, she remained trapped in the paralysis. Recognizing the magical nature of the affliction, Bastion focused his power and dispelled the enchantment on the book, feeling a foreboding presence dissipate. Shadow slowly began to recover, describing the disorienting experience of being "sucked in" by the book with no clear understanding of what she had read. To ensure she was fully freed, Bastion followed up by removing any lingering curse from her body.

The party debated what to do with the dangerous tome. Some suggested burning it, but they quickly realized that setting a fire on their wooden airship would be foolish. They decided instead to store it safely in the haversack with their other dangerous items until they could properly dispose of it. Shadow then attempted to read the book she had originally intended to study—a text about creating golems written by Safiya, a Red Wizard of Thay. Still discombobulated from the cursed book incident, she struggled to comprehend the complex instructions and eventually put it away.

Barlo used the cursed book incident as a teaching moment for Calliope. He asked her what she would have done if Shadow had become fully cursed and turned hostile against them in combat. After some thought, Calliope correctly identified that she should transform into a bird and fly away, recognizing that Shadow's deadly speed and accuracy would make any direct confrontation hopeless. Barlo praised this answer, emphasizing the importance of knowing one's opponent and choosing survival over a futile fight.

About an hour later, the captain's voice rang out across the deck with a warning about an approaching dragon. The party spotted a large, fast-moving adult blue dragon closing in on their position, its wingspan stretching approximately fifteen feet. Shadow immediately recognized it as a blue dragon and recalled that such creatures wielded devastating lightning breath. She shouted a warning in Draconic—"You don't want to do this"—before loosing two arrows that struck the dragon's scales. Sas transformed into a giant eagle and took to the air to engage the threat.

The dragon's presence was overwhelming, and several crew members found themselves gripped by primal fear, unable to approach the creature. Sas launched rays of scorching fire at the dragon while it closed the distance to the ship. Then the dragon unleashed its lightning breath in a devastating line that struck Sas in her eagle form, Calliope, and a crew member. Calliope took the full force of the attack and collapsed unconscious on the deck. Sas's eagle form absorbed much of the damage before the remaining energy carried over to her true form. The crew member managed to dodge enough to survive, though badly wounded.

Barlo raged and attempted to shoot the dragon with a crossbow loaded with a special bolt, but the projectile bounced harmlessly off the creature's scales. He dropped the weapon and bellowed at the dragon in defiance. The dragon spoke in response, and Shadow translated its words—someone had told the creature that the party would be coming this way. This revelation hung in the air as the battle continued. Sas struck the dragon with chilling necrotic energy while Bastion cursed it and then unleashed a barrage of magical force that struck the dragon multiple times, dealing significant damage.

As the dragon began to retreat from the ship, Barlo made a bold and desperate decision. He leaped forty feet from the crow's nest onto the dragon's back, crashing into its scales and taking considerable damage from the impact. Despite the pain, he managed to grapple onto the creature's neck and head, slashing at its face and eyes with reckless abandon. His attacks wounded the dragon's vision, causing it to have difficulty targeting its enemies. The dragon tried to shake him off, but Barlo held on with grim determination.

The dragon unleashed another lightning breath attack, this time striking Bastion and the fallen crew member. Bastion barely survived with only the slimmest margin of life remaining, while the ship's cook was completely vaporized by the electrical discharge. The crew worked frantically to turn the ship and bring their ballista to bear. Shadow attempted to ensnare the dragon with magical vines, but the creature's strength and size allowed it to resist the restraint, though the attack still wounded it.

Bastion, on his last reserves of strength, cursed the dragon again and unleashed another barrage of magical force. The missiles struck true, and the dragon's body went limp as the killing blow landed. Immediately, the massive corpse began plummeting toward the ground over one hundred feet below, with Barlo still clinging to it. The dragon's body thrashed as it fell, and Barlo struggled to maintain his grip. He slid down the creature's body and managed to grab onto its tail, riding the falling corpse like a deadly kite.

Sas attempted to transform Barlo into a bird to save him from the fall, but she was too far away to reach him in time. The dragon's corpse crashed into the ground with tremendous force, and Barlo took the full impact of the fall. Miraculously, he survived, standing atop the dragon's body with two thumbs up, bleeding from his ears but alive. The airship descended to ground level to retrieve him and the valuable dragon corpse.

A crew member used healing supplies to stabilize Calliope and the other wounded crew member, preventing them from dying. Shadow flew down to check on Barlo, and once the ship landed, healing was distributed to those who needed it. Calliope regained consciousness, as did the other stabilized crew member. The crew began repair work on the damaged mast and torn sails while the party turned their attention to harvesting the dragon.

Over the next nine to ten hours, the party meticulously carved valuable parts from the dragon's corpse. They successfully harvested the massive wings, which could potentially be used as improvised sails and were worth a small fortune. They carefully extracted the dragon's scales, each one a valuable component for armor or magical items. Thirty breath glands were removed from the dragon's throat, containing the essence of its lightning breath. They carved out the dragon's horn and found some usable bones, though many had been shattered by the fall. Finally, they salvaged fifty pounds of decent meat, though much had been spoiled by the impact. Throughout the process, Artie was seen gnawing contentedly on dragon meat.

As the party finished their work around nine or ten at night, an elderly gentleman in a ratty gray cloak emerged from behind the dragon's corpse. His hands glowed with blue light, and he appeared to be struggling to maintain his presence. He addressed Sas, confirming they had never met, then turned to Bastion and smiled, revealing himself to be a much older version of Grognard. He explained that he didn't have much time and had been followed through time, mentioning that he had tried different approaches by traveling to earlier moments.

Grognard revealed that the cursed book the party possessed contained the actual spell of Karsus Avatar, which he had stolen from Karsus before it could be used. This theft, he claimed, had led to the destruction of the old world of Toril, which had become the gem one of the party members now held. He explained that a specific cube was needed to read the book safely without being cursed, and that this cube was what allowed him to jump through time with limited control. He referred to the party as "the wild cards" and mentioned that he had been trying to manipulate events to guide them down the right path.

Before he could finish, Grognard brought up Professor Joshua, a smuggler who had stolen important cubes from him. He started to say something about the book's connection to Dendar, the Night Serpent, and dragon prophecies, but then abruptly vanished mid-sentence. The party discussed what they had learned, with Barlo explaining that Joshua was a smuggler who had conned him out of the cubes. They attempted to use their magical eight-ball to locate Joshua, but the device responded with uncertainty, indicating the answer was clouded.

During his rest that night, Bastion experienced a restored memory that had been magically erased years ago. In the memory, a younger, disheveled Grognard burst into the room where young Bastion was practicing forbidden techniques. Using a ten-minute hourglass timer, Grognard explained that he would erase these memories but that they would return at the right time. He revealed that the book Bastion must protect contained the Karsus Avatar spell and was connected to Dendar, the Night Serpent, and dragon prophecies. He mentioned that if the spell could be performed at the right time, it could work, as the world could no longer control such high-level magic. He suggested either performing the spell or finding a way to turn certain orbs back into something else. Then he erased the entire conversation from Bastion's memory.

When Bastion woke from his trance, he shared the restored memory with the party, explaining the connection between the cursed book, Dendar, and the dragon prophecies. The revelations from both the elderly Grognard and the restored memory left the party with more questions than answers, but they now understood the true significance of the dangerous tome they carried and the cosmic forces at play in their journey.

Scenes

Morning on the Airship - Day Seven

The party wakes after a long rest on day seven of their journey, flying over a petrified forest with crew morale slipping due to recent detours.

• The party completes a long rest, waking on the morning of day seven of their airship journey.
• The crew's morale is noticeably slipping due to frustration over a detour and concerns about ship security.
• The airship flies over a vast petrified forest with deep red petrified redwoods and bright yellow petrified pines.
• Shadow recalls information about Outding Refuge, an adventuring stopping point to the south, and mentions that an ancient dragon named Bill lives there and keeps most people away.
• The party observes they are about a day and a half from reaching the water and their destination.

Combat Training to Boost Morale

Barlo conducts combat training with Calliope on the top deck, teaching her shield work and defensive techniques while entertaining the crew.

• Barlo offers to train Calliope in combat, focusing on shield use and crossbow work to help her confidence in battle.
• They conduct the training on the top deck to boost crew morale.
• Barlo teaches Calliope through sparring, having her practice deflecting his blows with a shield and shooting at targets.
• The training session successfully lifts the crew's spirits, with people enjoying the show and picking up their morale.

The Cursed Book Incident

Shadow reads a mysterious handwritten book that entraps her in a magical trance, leaving her paralyzed until the party intervenes.

• Shadow intends to read a book about rock golems but accidentally picks up a different book - a mysterious, handwritten tome with varying writing styles and white X markings on the back.
• As Shadow reads the book, she feels a strange tingle and becomes completely paralyzed, unable to move any part of her body except her eyes.
• Artie, Shadow's companion, notices her unresponsiveness after about two minutes and tries to alert Barlo by snapping and nudging.
• Barlo initially dismisses Artie but eventually notices Shadow is not breathing normally and calls for assistance.
• Bastion arrives and kicks the book away from Shadow, then shakes her, observing a gray mist briefly rise from her body.
• Bastion casts Dispel Magic at fourth level on the book, feeling a foreboding presence dissipate.
• Shadow slowly begins to recover from the trance, describing feeling 'sucked in' by the book with no clear thesis or point.
• Bastion casts Remove Curse on Shadow to ensure she is fully freed from the book's effects.

Dealing with the Cursed Book

The party discusses what to do with the dangerous cursed book, ultimately deciding to store it safely rather than destroy it immediately.

• The party debates burning the cursed book but realizes doing so on a wooden airship would be dangerous.
• They decide to store the book safely in the haversack with other dangerous items until they can properly dispose of it.
• Shadow attempts to read the intended book about rock golems, learning it was written by Safiya, a Red Wizard of Thay, and contains instructions for creating golems.
• Shadow struggles to comprehend the golem book, still discombobulated from the cursed book incident, and puts it away after gaining only basic information.

Hypothetical Combat Training

Barlo conducts a thought exercise with Calliope about how to respond if Shadow became cursed and hostile.

• Barlo uses the cursed book incident as a teaching moment for Calliope.
• He asks Calliope what she would do if Shadow became fully cursed and turned against them in combat.
• Calliope initially says she would yell for help, but Barlo clarifies the hypothetical scenario where they are alone.
• Calliope correctly identifies that she should polymorph into a bird and fly away to escape Shadow's deadly speed and accuracy.
• Barlo praises this answer, emphasizing the importance of knowing your opponent's capabilities and choosing survival over a hopeless fight.

Dragon Attack - Initial Sighting

The captain spots an approaching blue dragon, and the party quickly prepares for combat as the dragon closes in on their airship.

• About an hour after Shadow's incident, the captain screams out a warning about an approaching dragon.
• The party spots a large, fast-moving adult blue dragon, approximately 15 feet in size with a significant wingspan.
• Shadow identifies the dragon as a blue dragon and recalls that its breath weapon is lightning-based.
• Sas immediately wild shapes into a giant eagle to engage the dragon in aerial combat.
• Shadow holds a readied action with her bow, while others prepare for the incoming threat.

Dragon Combat - Opening Strikes

Combat begins as Shadow fires arrows at the dragon, which responds with its frightful presence and devastating lightning breath.

• Shadow yells at the dragon in Draconic, warning 'You don't want to do this,' then fires two arrows, both hitting the dragon.
• The dragon uses its Frightful Presence ability, forcing wisdom saving throws from all nearby creatures.
• Calliope and several crew members fail their saves and become frightened of the dragon.
• Sas, in giant eagle form, casts Scorching Ray at fifth level, hitting the dragon with multiple rays of fire.
• The dragon unleashes its lightning breath weapon in a line, striking Sas in eagle form, Calliope, and a crew member.
• Calliope takes 70 points of lightning damage and falls unconscious.
• Sas's giant eagle form absorbs 34 points of damage before the remaining 36 carries over to her normal form.
• A crew member takes the breath weapon but manages to dodge enough to survive with half damage.

Dragon Combat - Escalation

The battle intensifies as Bastion unleashes powerful magic, Barlo attempts ranged attacks, and the dragon reveals it was sent to intercept them.

• Barlo rages and attempts to shoot the dragon with a crossbow loaded with a critical bolt, but the shot bounces off the dragon's scales.
• Barlo drops his crossbow and bellows at the dragon, attempting to intimidate it.
• The dragon speaks, and Shadow translates that someone told the dragon the party would be coming this way.
• Sas casts Chill Touch on the dragon, causing its scales to shiver and choke with necrotic energy.
• Bastion casts Hex on the dragon, targeting its strength, then follows up with Magic Missile at fifth level, creating seven darts that deal 62 total damage.
• The dragon uses a legendary action to lash its tail at the ship's mast, shaking it and forcing Barlo to make a dexterity save to avoid falling.
• The dragon begins to retreat from the ship while still engaging in combat.

Dragon Combat - Barlo's Daring Leap

Barlo makes a bold decision to leap onto the dragon's back as it attempts to flee, grappling onto the creature mid-flight.

• Shadow attempts to cast Ensnaring Strike on the dragon, hitting it but failing to restrain it due to its size and strength.
• Artie takes the dodge action to protect himself on the deck.
• Barlo decides to jump from the crow's nest onto the dragon's back, falling 40 feet and taking 20 points of bludgeoning damage.
• Barlo successfully grapples onto the dragon's neck and head area despite the size difference.
• Barlo attacks the dragon's face and eyes with reckless attacks, landing critical hits and causing the dragon to have disadvantage on attack rolls.
• The dragon's speed is reduced by 10 feet due to Barlo's attacks.
• The dragon unleashes another lightning breath attack, hitting Bastion and the fallen crew member, dealing 63 points of damage.
• Bastion survives with only 1 hit point remaining.
• The ship's cook is vaporized by the lightning breath.

Dragon Combat - Final Moments

The party delivers the killing blow to the dragon, but Barlo faces a deadly fall as the creature plummets to the ground.

• The captain maintains control of the airship while the crew attempts to use the ballista.
• Sas casts another spell that affects the dragon's scales with chilling energy.
• Bastion casts Hex and Magic Missile again, dealing the final blow that kills the dragon.
• The dragon's corpse immediately begins falling from over 100 feet in the air with Barlo still clinging to it.
• Barlo attempts to hold on during the fall, making contested strength checks against the dragon's thrashing.
• The dragon tries to shake Barlo off, but Barlo manages to grab onto the dragon's tail as he slides off.
• Sas attempts to cast Polymorph on Barlo to save him but is out of range.
• The dragon's corpse crashes to the ground, and Barlo takes 60 points of falling damage but survives.
• The airship descends to retrieve Barlo and the dragon's corpse.

Aftermath and Healing

The party tends to the wounded and begins assessing the damage to the ship and crew after the dragon attack.

• Shadow flies down in eagle form to check on Barlo, who is standing on top of the dragon corpse, bleeding but alive.
• The airship descends to ground level to retrieve Barlo and access the dragon.
• A crewmate uses a healer's kit to stabilize Calliope and another wounded crew member, preventing them from dying.
• Shadow casts a minor healing spell, restoring 15 hit points to six people including Calliope, Bastion, Barlo, and three crew members.
• The party confirms the cook was killed by the dragon's lightning breath.
• The crew begins repair work on the damaged airship, particularly the torn sails and damaged mast.

Harvesting the Dragon

The party spends several hours meticulously harvesting valuable parts from the dragon's corpse while the ship is repaired.

• The party decides to harvest the dragon for valuable parts, with Bastion taking the lead.
• Calliope uses Bardic Inspiration and Sas provides Guidance to assist with the harvesting.
• They successfully harvest the dragon's wings, valued at 6,500 gold pieces, taking about an hour.
• They extract the dragon's scales, also valued at 6,500 gold pieces, taking about three hours.
• Thirty breath glands are carefully removed from the dragon's breath pouches.
• Calliope casts Gentle Repose on the wings and breath pouches to preserve them from decay.
• They harvest the dragon's horn and find somewhat usable bones, valued at 750 gold pieces, taking another hour.
• The party collects 50 pounds of decent dragon meat, though much was spoiled from the fall.
• Artie is seen gnawing on dragon meat throughout the harvesting process.
• The entire harvesting process takes approximately nine to ten hours, extending into the night.

Grognard's Appearance

An elderly, time-traveling version of Grognard appears from the shadows, delivering cryptic warnings about the party's cursed book and past events.

• As the party finishes harvesting around nine or ten at night, an elderly gentleman in a ratty gray cloak emerges from behind the dragon's corpse.
• The man's hands glow with blue light in an Iron Man-like fashion, and he appears to be struggling to maintain his presence.
• He addresses Sas, confirming they haven't met before, then recognizes Bastion, revealing himself to be a much older version of Grognard.
• Grognard explains he doesn't have much time and has been followed, mentioning he's tried different approaches by traveling to earlier times.
• He reveals that the cursed book the party possesses contains the actual Karsus Avatar spell, which he stole from Karsus before it was used.
• Grognard claims his theft of the spell led to the destruction of the old world, Toril, which became the gem one of the party members holds.
• He explains that a specific cube is needed to read the book without being cursed, which is what allows him to jump through time.
• Grognard refers to the party as 'the wild cards' and mentions he's tried to manipulate events to guide them.
• He brings up Professor Joshua, a smuggler who stole important cubes from him.
• Grognard mentions the book is connected to Dendar, the Night Serpent, and dragon prophecies before abruptly vanishing mid-sentence.

Discussing Grognard and Joshua

The party discusses Grognard's revelations and attempts to locate Joshua using their magic eight-ball.

• The party discusses who Joshua is, with Barlo explaining he's a smuggler who conned him out of the cubes.
• They decide to try scrying on Joshua to locate him and the stolen cubes.
• The party uses their magic eight-ball to ask if Joshua still possesses the cubes Grognard mentioned.
• The eight-ball responds with 'Try again,' indicating uncertainty or that the answer is clouded.
• The party notes they can only use the magic eight-ball once per day.

Bastion's Restored Memory

During his trance, Bastion experiences a restored memory of a younger Grognard revealing crucial information about the cursed book before erasing his memory.

• Bastion enters his trance for a long rest and experiences a memory that had been modified.
• In the memory, a younger, disheveled Grognard bursts into the room where young Bastion is practicing bladesinging.
• Grognard uses a 10-minute hourglass timer and tells Bastion he doesn't care about catching him practicing, as he has more important matters.
• Grognard explains that he will erase these memories from Bastion but that they will return at the right time.
• He reveals that the book Bastion must protect contains the Karsus Avatar spell and is connected to Dendar, the Night Serpent, and dragon prophecies.
• Grognard mentions that if the spell can be performed at the right time, it could work, as the world cannot control high-level magic anymore.
• He suggests either performing the spell or finding a way to turn 'those orbs' back into something else.
• Grognard then casts a modified memory spell on young Bastion, erasing the 10-minute conversation from his memory.
• Bastion wakes from his trance, now fully aware of the erased memory and its implications.
• Bastion shares the restored memory with the party, explaining the connection between the book, Dendar, and the dragon prophecies.

Memorable Moments

"You don't want to do this"
— Shadow

Shouted in Draconic at the attacking blue dragon before firing arrows, moments before the dragon revealed someone had sent it to intercept them

Barlo leaps 40 feet from the crow's nest onto the dragon's back mid-flight, grappling onto its neck and slashing at its face and eyes while riding it through the air

A desperate and bold move during aerial combat, with Barlo clinging to the dragon even as it tried to shake him off

The blue dragon's corpse plummets over 100 feet to the ground with Barlo still clinging to its tail, surviving the fall with only moments to spare

After Bastion's killing blow, Barlo faced a deadly fall but managed to hold on and survive the impact

An elderly, time-traveling Grognard appears from the shadows, revealing the cursed book contains the Karsus Avatar spell and that he caused the destruction of Toril

After hours of harvesting the dragon, Grognard materialized with glowing blue hands to deliver cryptic warnings before vanishing

"You guys are the wild cards"
— Grognard

Explaining why he has been manipulating events through time travel, referring to the party as unpredictable elements in his plans

NPCs

Arktos "Artie"

Shadow's owlbear companion, currently polymorphed into a giant eagle. During this session, Artie noticed when Shadow became entrapped by the cursed book and alerted Barlo by snapping and nudging. Later, Artie was seen gnawing on dragon meat during the harvesting process.

Safiya

A Red Wizard of Thay identified as the author of a book about creating golems that Shadow attempted to read after the cursed book incident.

Captain Johnas Scott

The captain of the airship who spotted the approaching blue dragon and alerted the party. He maintained control of the vessel during the dragon attack and later descended the ship to retrieve Barlo and the dragon's corpse.

Blue Dragon

An adult blue dragon that attacked the party's airship. It was fast-moving, approximately 15 feet in size, and possessed a devastating lightning breath weapon. The dragon spoke in Draconic, revealing that someone had told it the party would be coming this way. It was ultimately killed by the party's combined efforts and fell over 100 feet to the ground.

The Cook

A crew member of the airship who was killed during the dragon attack, vaporized by the dragon's second lightning breath weapon. Later brought back.

Crew Members

Various members of the airship's crew who were affected by the dragon attack. Several became frightened by the dragon's presence, one was injured by lightning breath but survived, and they worked on repairing the ship's damaged mast and sails while the party harvested the dragon.

Grognard

An elderly, time-traveling version of Bastion's mentor who appeared from the shadows after the dragon was defeated. He wore a ratty gray cloak and had hands glowing with blue light. Grognard revealed he has been manipulating events through time travel to fix past mistakes, particularly regarding the Karsus Avatar spell and the destruction of Toril. He mentioned being followed and having limited time before vanishing mid-sentence.

Joshua

A smuggler mentioned by Grognard and Barlo as having stolen important cubes from Grognard. The party attempted to locate him using their magic eight-ball but received an uncertain answer.

Dendar

Referred to as 'the Night Serpent' in Bastion's restored memory. Grognard revealed that the cursed book containing the Karsus Avatar spell is connected to Dendar and dragon prophecies.

Locations

The Airship, The Audacity

The party's primary mode of transport, a magical vessel powered by a glowing blue Brumestone. During this session, it was attacked by a blue dragon, sustaining damage to its mast and sails. The crew worked on repairs while the party harvested the dragon's corpse on the ground below.

Petrified Forest

A vast expanse of petrified trees including deep red petrified redwoods and bright yellow petrified pines. The airship flew over this area on day seven of the journey, marking the last area of land before reaching open water.

Outding Refuge

An adventuring stopping point to the south, mentioned by Shadow as a place where an ancient dragon named Bill lives and keeps most people away. The party is approximately a day and a half away from this location.

Ground/Crash Site

The location where the defeated blue dragon's corpse fell after being killed in aerial combat. The airship descended here, and the party spent nine to ten hours harvesting valuable parts from the dragon while the crew repaired the ship. This is also where the elderly Grognard appeared from the shadows.

Items

Cursed Book

A mysterious, handwritten book with varying writing styles and white X markings on the back. When Shadow read it, the book entrapped her in a magical trance, paralyzing her completely. Bastion used Dispel Magic and Remove Curse to free Shadow from its effects. Grognard later revealed this book contains the actual Karsus Avatar spell, which he stole from Karsus and which led to the destruction of Toril. The book requires a specific cube to be read safely without being cursed.

Rock Golem Book

A book authored by Safiya, a Red Wizard of Thay, containing comprehensive illustrations and instructions for creating golems. Shadow attempted to read this book after the cursed book incident but struggled to comprehend it.

Hammond's Harvesting Handbook

A book mentioned as being read by a party member, intended to provide information on harvesting creatures. The party discussed using it to gain proficiency in harvesting over 100 hours of study.

Crossbow and Critical Bolt

A weapon used by Barlo in an attempt to attack the blue dragon. He loaded it with a special critical bolt, but the shot bounced off the dragon's scales. Barlo subsequently dropped the crossbow.

Dragon Wings

Large, valuable wings harvested from the defeated blue dragon, worth 6,500 gold pieces. The party preserved them with Gentle Repose and discussed potentially using them as improvised sails.

Dragon Scales

Tough scales meticulously carved from the blue dragon's corpse, valued at 6,500 gold pieces and preserved with Gentle Repose.

Dragon Breath Pouches

Thirty glands harvested from the blue dragon containing the essence of its lightning breath. These are valuable alchemical components and were preserved with Gentle Repose.

Dragon Horn and Bones

A horn and somewhat usable bones harvested from the blue dragon, valued at 750 gold pieces. Many bones were damaged from the fall but some decent pieces were found.

Dragon Meat

Fifty pounds of decent meat salvaged from the blue dragon's corpse. Much of the meat was spoiled from the impact of the fall, but the remaining portion is suitable for consumption or preservation as jerky.

Magic Eight-Ball

A mystical item used by the party to ask questions about the past or future. When asked if Joshua still possesses the stolen cubes, it responded with 'Try again,' indicating uncertainty. It can only be used once per day.

The Cubes

Important items that Grognard mentioned were stolen from him by Joshua. These cubes are necessary to read the cursed book containing the Karsus Avatar spell without being cursed, and they enable time travel.

Healer's Kit

Used by a crewmate to stabilize Calliope and another wounded crew member after the dragon attack, preventing them from dying.

Brumestone

A critical component of the airship that glows blue and serves as the power source. It is embedded under the crow's nest and is susceptible to damage that can reduce the ship's speed.

Spells

Dispel Magic

Cast by Bastion at fourth level on the cursed book that had entrapped Shadow. The spell successfully ended the foreboding magical effect, causing the book's presence to dissipate and allowing Shadow to begin recovering from her trance.

Remove Curse

Cast by Bastion on Shadow after she was paralyzed by the cursed book. The spell successfully freed her from the book's lingering magical influence, though the book itself remained cursed.

Wild Shape

Used by Sas to transform into a giant eagle when the blue dragon was spotted, allowing her to engage in aerial combat.

Frightful Presence

An innate dragon ability used by the blue dragon that instilled fear in nearby creatures. Calliope and several crew members failed their wisdom saves and became frightened.

Lightning Breath

The blue dragon's signature breath weapon, unleashed twice during combat. The first use knocked Calliope unconscious and damaged Sas in eagle form. The second use left Bastion with only 1 hit point and killed the ship's cook.

Scorching Ray

Cast by Sas at fifth level while in giant eagle form, hitting the blue dragon with multiple rays of fire during the opening moments of combat.

Chill Touch

Cast by Sas multiple times during the dragon combat, causing the dragon's scales to shiver and choke with necrotic energy.

Hex

Cast by Bastion on the blue dragon, targeting its strength. This spell imposed disadvantage on the dragon's strength ability checks and added extra damage to attacks against it.

Magic Missile

Cast by Bastion at fifth level multiple times during the dragon combat, creating seven darts of magical force that automatically hit the dragon. This spell dealt significant damage, with one casting dealing 62 total damage and ultimately delivering the killing blow.

Ensnaring Strike

Attempted by Shadow on the blue dragon. While the attack hit and dealt damage, the dragon resisted the restraining effect due to its size and strength.

Polymorph

Sas attempted to cast this spell on Barlo to save him from falling with the dragon's corpse, but she was out of range at the critical moment. Earlier, Calliope had mentioned using it to transform into a bird as an escape strategy in a hypothetical combat scenario.

Gentle Repose

Cast by Calliope on the harvested dragon wings and breath pouches to preserve them from decay, allowing the party more time to process and transport the valuable materials.

Guidance

Used by Sas multiple times to assist party members with their skill checks during the dragon harvesting process, providing small bonuses to their efforts.

Bardic Inspiration

Used by Calliope to assist party members during the dragon harvesting, providing bonus dice to their skill checks. Also used during combat to help with a saving throw against the dragon's Frightful Presence.

Modified Memory

Cast by a younger Grognard on Bastion in a restored memory. The spell erased a 10-minute conversation about the cursed book, the Karsus Avatar spell, and its connection to Dendar and dragon prophecies. The memory was later restored during Bastion's trance.

Karsus Avatar

A legendary, powerful spell contained within the cursed book. According to Grognard, he stole this spell from Karsus before it was used, which led to the destruction of the old world, Tarille. The spell is connected to Dendar, the Night Serpent, and dragon prophecies. It can only be performed at specific times when the world cannot control high-level magic.

Classic

Last we left off, our party found themselves aboard their airship, soaring over a vast expanse of petrified forest as they approached their destination. What began as a routine day of training—with Barlo teaching young Calliope the art of shield work while the crew's spirits lifted—took a dark turn when Shadow fell victim to a cursed tome. The mysterious book, covered in white X markings and filled with incomprehensible text, paralyzed her completely, trapping her consciousness in an unnatural trance. Only Bastion's quick thinking and magical intervention freed her from the enchantment, revealing the book to be far more dangerous than anyone had imagined.

But there was little time to process this discovery. An adult blue dragon, tipped off by an unknown informant about the party's route, descended upon the airship with devastating fury. Its lightning breath struck down Calliope and vaporized a crew member, while Bastion was brought to the very edge of death. In a moment of reckless courage, Barlo leaped forty feet from the crow's nest onto the dragon's back, clinging to its neck and slashing at its eyes even as it plummeted over a hundred feet to the ground. Miraculously, both Barlo and the dragon's valuable corpse survived the fall, providing the party with precious materials and a hard-won victory.

As night fell and the party finished harvesting the dragon, an elderly version of Grognard appeared, struggling against time itself. He revealed the terrible truth—the cursed book contained the actual Karsus Avatar spell, stolen before it could destroy the world, and was connected to Dendar the Night Serpent and ancient dragon prophecies. Before vanishing mid-sentence, he mentioned Professor Joshua, a smuggler who possessed the cubes needed to safely read the tome. That night, Bastion's magically erased memories returned, showing him a younger Grognard explaining that the spell might work in this new age, and that the party held the fate of worlds in their hands. Now, with more questions than answers and cosmic forces swirling around them, the party must decide their next move...

Middle English

Harken well, ye gentlefolk brave,
Of heroes sailing through the skye;
O'er petrified woods their course they gave,
When dragon's wrath did draw most nigh!
Young Barlo trained fair Calliope,
With shield and blade in merry sport,
Whilst Shadow read most foolishly,
A cursed tome of darkest sort.

The book did seize her soul complete,
Her body froze, her eyes alone could move;
Till Bastion's magick did defeat,
The foul enchantment she must prove.
Then came a dragon, blue and fell,
With lightning breath and fearsome might;
"Someone hath told!" the beast did tell,
"That ye would come into my sight!"

The crew did quake, the dragon struck,
Poor Calliope fell upon the deck;
But Barlo, filled with rage and pluck,
Did leap upon the serpent's neck!
From crow's nest high, forty feet he flew,
And grappled fast the dragon's head;
With slashing blade the beast he slew,
Though both did fall when it was dead.

They carved the corpse with careful hand,
The wings, the scales, the breath glands rare;
When lo! appeared from shadow'd land,
Old Grognard with his time-worn stare.
"The book," quoth he, "holds Karsus' spell,
That brought old Toril to its end;
Seek ye the cubes, find Joshua well,
For Dendar's prophecy doth bend!"

He vanished ere his tale was done,
But Bastion's memory returned that night;
The truth revealed what must be won—
To save the world or claim its might.
The book of power, dark and deep,
Doth hold the fate of all the land;
These heroes bold their vigil keep,
With dragon's blood upon their hand!

Snarky

When last we left our party, they were cruising over a petrified forest on day seven of their airship voyage, just trying to keep crew morale up and maybe not die for like five minutes. Barlo decided the best way to boost spirits was some good old-fashioned combat training with Calliope, complete with shield work and sibling-style teasing. Meanwhile, Shadow picked up what she thought was a nice, safe book about rock golems but instead grabbed a cursed tome that immediately paralyzed her like the world's worst library trap. After Bastion literally kicked the book away and dispelled the curse, they wisely decided to store it with their other "definitely going to kill us later" items instead of, you know, burning it on their wooden airship.

But wait, there's more! An adult blue dragon showed up because apparently someone snitched on their travel plans, and proceeded to vaporize the ship's cook with lightning breath while nearly killing half the party. In a move that can only be described as "peak Barlo," our boy jumped forty feet from the crow's nest onto the dragon's back, rode it down like the world's most dangerous rodeo, and survived a hundred-foot fall by giving two thumbs up while bleeding from his ears. After harvesting dragon parts for nine hours, an elderly time-traveling Grognard appeared to drop the mother of all lore bombs: that cursed book contains the actual Karsus Avatar spell, their gem used to be the entire world of Toril, and oh yeah, it's all connected to Dendar the Night Serpent and dragon prophecies. Then he vanished mid-sentence because dramatic timing, leaving our party with a restored memory, existential dread, and approximately fifty pounds of dragon meat.

Limerick

The party sailed through skies so wide,
O'er petrified forests they'd glide.
Barlo trained with his shield,
On the deck as a field,
While morale rose up with the tide.

Poor Shadow sat reading a book,
But a cursed one by mistake she took.
Paralyzed, frozen still,
Against her own will,
Till Bastion dispelled the dark hook.

A blue dragon came swooping to fight,
Its lightning breath blazing so bright.
Barlo leaped with a roar,
Rode it down to the floor,
And survived the great fall from that height.

They carved up the dragon with care,
Took scales, wings, and glands from the lair.
Then old Grognard appeared,
With warnings they feared,
Of Karsus's spell hidden there.

The book holds a world-breaking curse,
Dragon prophecies, Dendar, and worse.
With memories restored,
They now know what's in store,
As their dangerous journey grows terse.

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16