(S107) Tiamat Returns

Amidst a valley of dragon skeletons, the Dungeon Master's weapon upgrade ritual is interrupted by the return of the rest of the party and the violent awakening of an aspect of Tiamat. Following a brutal, multi-headed battle culminating in Venger's disintegrating blow, the party's gear is elevated to sentient artifact status, bonding permanently with Barlo's chrome symbiote.

📝 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

S107: Tiamat Returns

Date: 2026-06-20

Short

In a valley encircled by ancient dragon skeletons, a powerful ritual was underway to reforge the party's weapons into living artifacts, drawing upon streams of lava and the chrome symbiote within Barlo. The master of the ritual warned that these newly awakened weapons might one day refuse their wielders if the bond between them was not fully forged. Before the ritual could be completed, the rest of the party tumbled through a nearby portal — but the reunion was cut short when the valley trembled and a five-headed aspect of Tiamat herself erupted from the earth, furious at the intrusion upon her sacred grounds.

The battle was fierce and desperate. Barlo charged in with savage fury, Sas took to the skies as a giant eagle, Calliope summoned a whirling vortex of blades, and Bastion's illusions proved useless against the guardian's ancient power. The dragon retaliated with fire, poison, and crushing physical blows, focusing much of its wrath on Barlo. The tide turned when Shadow, invisible and repositioned high above the chaos on her broom, landed two devastating arrows, and Bastion conjured a relentless arcane blade. The killing blow came from Venger, whose thin green ray cracked the dragon's scales apart into motes of blue light, its spirit dissolving back into the earth. In the quiet aftermath, the ritual was completed, the weapons humming with new power, and the party claimed enchanted rewards — including winged boots that Sas and Calliope gleefully claimed together as "boot buddies." With the sacred horn stolen by a powerful Archfey and the road back ahead, the party steeled themselves for the next chapter of their journey.

Summary

In a vast valley ringed by the colossal skeletons of ancient dragons, a powerful ritual was underway. Streams of lava rose from the earth in a slow, hypnotic dance, weaving around the party's weapons as an ancient and diminutive master of arcane forces drew upon the very lifeblood of the land to reshape them into something far greater. Barlo stood at the center of it all as the chrome symbiote living within him crept out through his pores, its metallic essence flowing into the ritual like a river joining the sea. The weapons that had once been crafted from petrified wood and arcane energy, later tempered in the forges of Eberron, were being reborn — elevated to artifacts of legend, each one slowly awakening to a consciousness of its own. The master of the ritual warned the party gravely that these weapons were now living things, and that one day they might refuse to be wielded even by the hands that had carried them, should their bearers fall before the bond was fully forged.

Before the ritual could be completed, a portal tore open in the air nearby, and the rest of the party came tumbling through as Kelek's actions from within his magical orb allowed them to escape and rejoin the others. The reunion was brief, for the earth beneath them began to tremble and groan. The fissures in the valley floor pulsed with blue light as wisps of ancient energy rose from the bones of the land, and from that churning chaos, something immense began to take shape. A five-headed dragon, its scales shimmering with the chromatic fury of all dragonkind, hauled itself upward from the earth — an aspect of Tiamat herself, the guardian of these sacred grounds, awakened and furious.

The battle that followed was fierce and desperate. Barlo charged headlong into the fray, his rage burning like a forge fire as he tore into the dragon's hide and slowed its movements with each savage blow. Sas transformed herself into a giant eagle and took to the skies, her powerful wings carrying her up to meet the beast in the air, though the dragon's defenses proved formidable. Bastion attempted to ensnare the creature's mind in a web of swirling color and illusion, only to discover that the guardian's ancient power rendered such magic utterly useless against it — a humbling reminder of just how terrifying their foe truly was.

The dragon retaliated with the full fury of its five heads. A searing cone of fire swept across the valley floor, engulfing several of the heroes in roaring flame. Its green head exhaled a billowing cloud of poisonous gas that rolled across the battlefield, dissolving the rising spirits of the land as it went. Calliope summoned a whirling vortex of blades directly in front of the creature's faces, while Bastion's simulacrum hurled streaks of fire into its flanks. Through it all, the dragon clawed and bit and struck with its massive tail, focusing much of its wrath on Barlo, who refused to yield even as the blows rained down upon him.

The tide began to turn when Shadow vanished from sight entirely, soaring across the battlefield on her broom to reposition high above the chaos. From that vantage point, invisible and deadly, she loosed two arrows that struck the dragon with tremendous force, leaving it visibly staggered. Bastion then conjured a shimmering blade of pure arcane force that hovered above the creature and carved into it with relentless precision. The killing blow came from an unexpected source — Venger, who had been watching the battle with cold intensity, unleashed a thin green ray that struck the dragon's scales and sent cracks spider-veining across its entire body. The scales crumbled and popped free, dissolving into motes of blue light, and the great guardian shattered at last, its spirit breaking apart into wisps of lightning that sank silently back into the earth from which it had risen.

In the quiet that followed, the ritual was completed. The party's weapons hummed with new life, each one carrying a power that had not been there before — a power that would only grow as the bonds between weapon and wielder deepened over time. The heroes also found themselves presented with a selection of remarkable gifts: enchanted boots that granted the gift of flight, a magical quiver capable of holding far more than its size suggested, stones of fortune, and other wonders besides. Sas and Calliope both reached for the winged boots at nearly the same moment, sharing a laugh as they declared themselves boot buddies in the aftermath of the carnage. The party took stock of what lay ahead — the sacred horn had been taken by a powerful Archfey who had retreated to his own realm, and the road back awaited them, along with whatever dangers the next chapter of their journey would bring.

Scenes

The Dungeon Master's Ritual

The party gathers as the Dungeon Master upgrades their weapons to artifact status using lava and ancient magic.

• The Dungeon Master draws lava from the land to fuel a ritual upgrading the party's weapons.
• Barlo hands over his weapon, and a chrome symbiote emerges from his pores to join the process.
• The party discusses taking a short rest while the ritual continues, with Calliope offering a song of rest.
• Kelek's actions from within his magical orb allow the rest of the party to escape the orb and reunite in the Dragon Graveyard.
• The Dungeon Master warns that the presence of the full party might reactivate the area's Guardian.

Flashback: The Shadow's Betrayal

A memory reveals a dark entity emerging to strike down Kelek and manipulate the party's memories.

• The party recalls destroying a The Heart Stone of the Realm artifact to break a curse on Kelek.
• A shadow creature takes form behind Kelek, appearing as a paranoid figure made of stone and wrapped in blue.
• The shadow entity stuns the party with a powerful wave of force.
• The creature strikes Kelek through the chest with a Unicorn Horn of Uni, causing him to collapse as his eyes roll back.
• The shadow entity declares its intent to reclaim its home and destroy the Fae.
• The entity casts a powerful spell to manipulate and erase the party's memories of the encounter.
• Bastion realizes the memory alteration is happening but is unable to stop the shift for everyone.

The Dragon's Valley

The party emerges from the magical orb into a valley of dragon skeletons, where a five-headed guardian manifests to challenge them.

• The party is released from the magical orb into a valley filled with unusually large dragon skeletons.
• A massive five-headed dragon, an essence of Tiamat, manifests from the ground as lava and magic swirl around the area.
• The Dungeon Master explains he is upgrading the party's weapons but cannot control the guardian as he did previously.
• The party rolls initiative and prepares to face the guardian.
• Barlo enters a primal rage and engages the dragon in melee, gashing its hide and slowing its movements.
• Sas attempts to strike the dragon with a chilling touch but finds the creature's defenses difficult to penetrate.
• The dragon's red head exhales a massive cone of fire, engulfing several party members in flames.
• Bastion uses his soul cage to bolster his experience and teleports away from the dragon's reach.
• Shadow takes to the air on her broom, ascending eighty feet to rain arrows down upon the multi-headed beast.

The Battle Against the Aspect of Tiamat

The party engages in a high-stakes battle against a five-headed dragon essence in a valley of dragon skeletons.

• Shadow in the Snow fires force-enhanced arrows at the massive dragon from a distance while riding her broom.
• Bastion attempts to ensnare the dragon in a hypnotic pattern, but the creature's powerful nature renders it immune to the low-level enchantment.
• Bastion's simulacrum unleashes a barrage of scorching rays, successfully burning the dragon's hide.
• Calliope summons a cloud of daggers directly in front of the dragon's faces, causing constant lacerations.
• The Aspect of Tiamat unleashes its frightful presence, though the heroes manage to steel their nerves against the supernatural terror.
• The dragon viciously attacks Barlo with claws and a piercing tail strike while he rages on the ground.
• The dragon takes flight, hovering fifty feet above the battlefield to avoid melee combat.
• Sas, transformed into a giant eagle, flies into the air to strike at the dragon with beak and talons.
• The dragon's white head snaps at the giant eagle, but Sas manages to maneuver out of its reach.
• The dragon's green head exhales a massive cone of poisonous gas, catching Sas and Bastion in the toxic cloud and dissipating nearby spirits.
• Venger assists the party by firing a green ray that spider-veins through the dragon's scales, causing them to crumble into blue light.
• Shadow turns invisible and flies across the battlefield, striking the dragon with two powerful arrows that leave it severely wounded.
• Bastion summons a spectral arcane sword that hovers above the dragon, delivering a series of precise strikes.
• Venger unleashes a devastating disintegration spell that tears through the dragon's remaining essence.
• The dragon spirit finally shatters, its form breaking into wisps of lightning that return to the land.

The Artifact Awakening and Rewards

Following the guardian's defeat, the Dungeon Master completes the ritual to upgrade the party's weapons into sentient artifacts and offers additional magical gifts.

• The Dungeon Master draws energy from the land to finalize the upgrades for the party's weapons.
• The weapons, originally crafted from petrified wood and arcane forces and later taken to Eberron, are elevated to artifact status with a plus three bonus.
• The party learns that their weapons have become sentient and will continue to grow in power alongside them, and may even outlive their wielders.
• The Dungeon Master presents the party with a selection of magical gifts from the Silver Flame to aid in their future adventures.
• The party discusses and selects new magical items, including winged boots, an enchanted quiver, and a stone of good luck.
• The group reflects on the recent loss of the sacred horn to an Archfey and plans their next steps after Narsus hinted he would head to Skola Vale to reclaim his home.
• The party levels up following their victory over the guardian.

Memorable Moments

A shadow creature emerges behind Kelek, drives a Unicorn Horn of Uni through his chest, and steals it as a wand — declaring it will reclaim its home and destroy the Fae before vanishing.

The shocking flashback reveal that underpinned the session, showing how Kelek was struck down and the party's memories were nearly erased.

Shadow turns invisible, soars across the battlefield on her broom, and fires two devastating arrows that leave the Aspect of Tiamat severely wounded.

A standout combat moment where Shadow's combination of invisibility and aerial positioning led to the most damaging single turn of the fight.

Bastion attempts to ensnare the five-headed dragon in a hypnotic pattern, only to discover that the creature's immense power makes it completely immune to lower-level magic.

A humbling moment that revealed the true scale of the threat the party was facing.

Venger fires a devastating disintegration ray that tears through the Aspect of Tiamat's remaining essence, shattering the dragon spirit into wisps of lightning that sink back into the land.

The killing blow that ended the battle, delivered by an unexpected ally and punctuated by a dramatic visual of the dragon's spirit returning to the earth.

Sas and Calliope both choose winged boots from the reward selection, immediately declaring themselves 'boot buddies.'

A lighthearted moment of camaraderie after a brutal battle, with the two players bonding over their matching magical footwear.

The Dungeon Master reveals that the party's newly upgraded artifact weapons are growing sentient and may one day refuse to be wielded — even by their original owners — if the wielder dies before the weapon reaches its full potential.

A tantalizing lore drop that reframes the party's weapons as living entities with their own destinies.

The chrome symbiote living inside Barlo emerges from his pores during the weapon upgrade ritual, visibly contributing its essence to the transformation of his weapon into an artifact.

A striking and unsettling visual that highlighted the unique and mysterious nature of Barlo's bond with the symbiote.

NPCs

The Dungeon Master

A short, powerful figure capable of controlling the spirits of the land and upgrading weapons to artifact status through complex rituals involving lava and magic. He warns the party that he cannot control the guardian as he did in the previous fight.

Kelek

An ally who was freed from a curse by the destruction of the The Heart Stone of the Realm, only to be struck through the chest by a shadow creature wielding a Unicorn Horn of Uni. He is left in a critical state, fighting for his life.

Vecna

A powerful entity briefly mentioned during the flashback, associated with the curse that previously afflicted Kelek.

Venger

A powerful figure who assists the party during the battle against the Aspect of Tiamat, firing a green arcane ray and a devastating disintegration spell to weaken the dragon guardian.

Aspect of Tiamat

A massive five-headed dragon representing the chromatic dragon heads, serving as a guardian of the holy dragon grounds. It possesses powerful elemental breath attacks including fire, poison, and lightning, as well as a terrifying frightful presence.

Narsus, the Archfey of the Vale

A powerful entity described as a smoke monster who recently claimed the sacred horn and returned to his home realm, hinting he would be going to Skola Vale to take his home back.

Locations

Prison of Agony

A dangerous location filled with hook horrors where the party previously destroyed an entity to release secrets across the planes, referenced during the session recap.

Dragon Cemetary

A large valley surrounded by the unusually large skeletons of ancient dragons, featuring fissures where blue magical light and lava emerge from the ground. The site of the battle against the Aspect of Tiamat and the Dungeon Master's weapon upgrade ritual.

Items

Kelek's Orb

Kelek has an orb that gives him a private domain.

The Heart Stone of the Realm

An artifact that held fear and corruption, recently destroyed by the party during the flashback to clear Kelek's mind of its curse.

Unicorn Horn of Uni

A powerful object used like a wand by the shadow entity during the flashback. The creature drove it through Kelek's chest and then wielded it to cast a sweeping spell before departing.

Chrome Symbiote

A metallic entity residing within Barlo that emerges from his pores to assist in the weapon upgrading ritual performed by the Dungeon Master.

Soul Cage

A magical cage used by Bastion to trap a soul, allowing him to draw upon its life experience to bolster his own abilities during combat, granting advantage on a roll.

Broom of Flying

A magical broom used by Shadow in the Snow to maintain a tactical aerial advantage during the fight, allowing her to ascend to eighty feet above the battlefield.

Artifact Weapons

The party's weapons, upgraded by the Dungeon Master using the energy of the land and lava. They now carry a plus three bonus and possess a growing sentience tied to their wielders, with the potential to continue evolving even beyond the wielder's death.

Winged Boots

Magical footwear that allows the wearer to fly for up to four hours. They require attunement and provide a slow descent if the magic expires while the user is airborne. Selected by party members as a reward after the battle.

Quiver of Ehlonna

An enchanted container capable of holding a vast amount of arrows, bolts, and even larger items like javelins in its extradimensional compartments. Selected by a party member as a reward to bolster ranged capabilities.

Stone of Good Luck

A small polished agate that grants the bearer a slight edge on ability checks and saving throws. Considered by party members as a reward after the battle.

Boots of the Winterlands

Boots that grant the wearer resistance to cold damage and the ability to traverse icy terrain with ease, discussed by the party when reviewing their reward options.

Gauntlets of Ogre Power

Heavy metal gauntlets that imbue the wearer with immense physical strength, considered by Barlo as a reward option.

Sending Stones

A pair of smooth stones that allow two individuals to communicate across great distances, discussed as a potential reward set for the party.

Ever-smoking Bottle

A brass container that, when opened, releases a thick cloud of smoke to obscure the area, noted by the party as a potential escape tool.

Spells

Polymorph

A concentration spell lasting up to an hour, previously used to transform a character. Its duration was discussed as potentially expiring during the weapon upgrade ritual.

Song of Rest

A soothing musical performance by Calliope that helps the party recover more effectively during a short rest.

Chill Touch

A ghostly, skeletal hand used by Sas as a primary ranged magical attack against the Aspect of Tiamat, though it failed to penetrate the dragon's defenses.

Hypnotic Pattern

A spell cast by Bastion to create a twisting pattern of colors in an attempt to ensnare the dragon. However, the creature's immense power rendered it immune to the enchantment.

Scorching Ray

Cast by Bastion's simulacrum, sending multiple streaks of fire to strike the dragon and deal fire damage.

Cloud of Daggers

A localized vortex of spinning blades summoned by Calliope and placed directly in front of the dragon's faces, causing constant lacerations throughout the battle.

Nature's Veil

A ranger ability used by Shadow to vanish from sight, granting her advantage on her subsequent attacks and allowing her to reposition safely across the battlefield.

Wild Shape

Used by Sas to transform into a giant eagle with an eighty-foot flight speed, allowing her to take the fight to the dragon in the air.

Arcane Sword

A seventh-level spell cast by Bastion that summoned a shimmering blade of force to hover above the dragon and deliver a series of precise strikes.

Disintegrate

A devastating spell cast by Venger that dealt massive damage to the dragon, causing its scales to spider-vein and its form to crumble into blue light.

Flame Arrows

A spell in Sas's repertoire used to imbue ammunition with fiery energy, though currently limited in usefulness due to the lack of a proper quiver — prompting consideration of the Quiver of Ehlonna as a reward.

Classic

Last we left off, our heroes found themselves gathered in a valley of ancient and terrible majesty — a vast expanse ringed by the colossal skeletons of dragons long fallen, where an arcane master of diminutive stature had called upon the very lifeblood of the land to reshape their weapons into something far greater. Streams of lava rose and wove through the air in a slow, hypnotic dance, and Barlo stood at the center of it all as the chrome symbiote within him flowed outward to join the ritual. The weapons — once born of petrified wood and arcane energy, later tempered in the forges of Eberron — were being reborn as living artifacts, each one slowly awakening to a consciousness of its own. The master warned them gravely: these weapons were now alive, and should the bond between bearer and blade go unforged, the weapons might one day refuse to be wielded at all.

Before the ritual could be completed, a portal tore open in the air and the rest of the party came tumbling through, the magical orb clattering to the ground as the earth itself began to tremble. From the fissures below, pulsing with blue light and churning with ancient energy, something immense hauled itself upward — a five-headed dragon, its scales shimmering with the chromatic fury of all dragonkind. An aspect of Tiamat herself, guardian of these sacred grounds, had awakened, and she was furious. The battle that followed was fierce and desperate. Barlo charged headlong into the fray, his rage burning like a forge fire. Sas took to the skies as a giant eagle. Bastion's illusions shattered uselessly against the creature's ancient defenses, a humbling reminder of just how terrifying their foe truly was. Fire, poison, claw, and tail rained down upon the heroes as the dragon unleashed the full fury of its five heads.

The tide turned when Shadow vanished from sight, soaring high above the chaos on her broom before loosing two devastating arrows that left the guardian visibly staggered. Bastion's conjured blade of arcane force carved into the creature with relentless precision, and the killing blow came from Venger — a thin green ray that sent cracks spider-veining across the dragon's entire body until its scales crumbled and dissolved into motes of blue light, its spirit sinking silently back into the earth. In the quiet that followed, the ritual was completed. The party's weapons hummed with new life, and remarkable gifts were laid before them — enchanted boots of flight, a magical quiver, stones of fortune, and more. Sas and Calliope both reached for the winged boots at nearly the same moment, declaring themselves boot buddies in the aftermath of the carnage. Now, with the sacred horn stolen away by a powerful Archfey retreated to his own realm, the road back awaits — and whatever dangers the next chapter of their journey will bring...

Snarky

Welcome to the world's most dramatic weapons upgrade, where instead of just popping into a blacksmith, our heroes had to fight a literal aspect of Tiamat to earn their enchanted participation trophies. The ritual was going great — lava swirling, chrome symbiote oozing out of Barlo like he's a very metal lava lamp, weapons achieving sentience — until someone's magical orb hit the floor and summoned a five-headed dragon, because of course it did. Bastion tried to hit the ancient guardian of dragonkind with a color spray, which is the arcane equivalent of bringing a kazoo to a gunfight. Truly humbling stuff.

But hey, the good news: the dragon is dead, the weapons are alive (make that make sense), and Sas and Calliope are now officially Boot Buddies after nearly elbowing each other in the face over a pair of winged boots in the middle of a battlefield littered with dragon scales. Very normal post-combat behavior. The sacred horn is still missing, stolen by an Archfey who had the audacity to retreat to his own private realm like some kind of magical HOA president, and the road back isn't getting any shorter. But at least everyone's weapons have feelings now. Progress!

Middle English

Hearke well, ye bold and daring soules,
Who stood where dragon-bones did lie,
Where lava rose in winding scrolles,
And ancient magick touched the sky,
As weapons woke with living cries!

From Barlo's skin the chrome did seep,
Into the ritual's molten art,
The master bade the party keep
Their bonds of blade close to the heart,
Lest living steel and bearer part.

Then tore the air a portal wide,
And through it fell their comrades true,
The earth did groan and shake beside,
As Tiamat's great aspect drew
Herself from fissures, bright and blue!

Five heads did breathe their fearsome blight,
With fire and poison, claw and tail,
Yet Shadow's arrows turned the fight,
And Venger's ray, so cold and pale,
Did crack the guardian's dreadful scale!

When silence fell upon the vale,
The weapons hummed with power new,
And boot-clad friends did laugh and hail
Each other, bonded through and through,
As Skola Vale came back to view!

Limerick

In a valley of old dragon bones,
Lava rose up in mystical tones,
The weapons were reborn,
Each blade, blade, and horn,
As the chrome seeped from Barlo's own stones!

A portal burst wide with a crack,
And the rest of the party came back,
The earth gave a groan,
Then Tiamat's clone
Rose up from the fissures — attack!

Barlo raged, Sas took eagle form high,
While Bastion's illusions went awry,
Five heads breathed their blight,
Fire and poison mid-fight,
And the heroes could only ask why!

Then Shadow turned invisible, keen,
Her arrows struck hard and unseen,
Venger's green ray did crack
The great dragon's back,
And it shattered to blue light between!

With the dragon now dust on the ground,
The party claimed gifts they had found,
Sas and Calliope both
(On their boot-buddy oath!)
Grabbed winged boots — best friends, homeward bound!

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16