The party stands in the water at the room’s edge as the water was rising past their ankles, past their knees, up to their waists. Noticing their new-found bluish-gray weapons are fraying and almost dissolving upon contact with the water, they step forward, past the invisible wall barring the water’s natural flow into the room – the water behind the barrier continuing to rise.
The air feels warm, dry, and stale.
Qarzdaq attempts to speak to the beast, which is met with hostility.
Tholannan attempts to see if there is an interaction with the magical ball, which is met with hostility.
The beast breathes fire across them all, the bracelets dampening the damage.
The fight begins…
After a few contacts, the beast retreats to the back of the room and as one final ranged attack hits true, the dragon monstrosity cries out and falls… and it is quiet…
After a few moments, the beast jumps back to its feet and spreads its wings. The feeling of déjà vu sets in as the beast lets out a huge roar. As it does, a heatwave radiates through the party, the bracelets glowing a deep blue. The heat’s presence is felt, but not the heat itself – no one feels uncomfortably hot.
The moss and vines on the dragon and the chains burn off, revealing a relatively huge glowing rune on the creature’s chest that looks familiar. The invisible barrier holding back the water appears to push out against the water by a few inches, releasing steam from all sides into the dry sphere of air in the room. The iron chains holding the dragon glow red hot but remain intact.
Several attempts to pierce the rune with the extraordinary blue arrows and javelins are met with unextraordinary results.
Shadowsilver and Burton attempt to bypass the dragon and unlock the door that this beast was obviously meant to be guarding.
Tholannan determines that the rune on the dragon’s chest is among those they saw on the ceiling in the previous room. A plan is made to head back that way, through the water, which is now up to the ceiling in this room.
In the meantime, the others continue to deal damage to the dragon – enough so that the dragon is felled once more.
And again… after a moment or two, the dragon is awake and lets out an deafening roar. And as one of the dragon’s heads rises, it brushes against Malrik’s armor, along his arm, down to his wrist, and its teeth snag on the thin silvery chain bracelet. A soft “clink” is heard as it snaps off his wrist and it falls to the floor.
Immediately, Max feels a drain of power, and for the first time he feels the immense heat in the room. A look of fear and panic spread across his face as he falls unconscious.
Tholannan, realizing he is needed here to keep Max alive and to provide heals to Qhortho, who is no less focused on destroying the dragon, decides that he will stick around while Qarzdaq heads back to look at the runes. Tholannan also realizes that if he is taken down, surely all other will fall. He decides to retreat somewhat back into the hallway, where the dragon’s reach cannot affect him.
Burton and Shadowsilver make it past the locked door and are confronted with a small, but heavy box with a padlock on it. This padlock is different from any they had seem before – it has no key hole. Where the key hole should be, is a small glowing rune, different from the one on the dragon, but still familiar.
Burton makes a mental note of it and rushes out of the room to see Max collapsed, the dragon still fighting. He is able to make it to Qarzdaq and Tholannan in just enough time to tell them about the other rune, which they then verify is on Qhortho’s handwritten note.
Tholannan, Qarzdaq, Shadowsilver, and Burton then head into the water-filled hallway; Tholannan stopping and keeping an eye on Qhortho and Max, the others continuing to swim to the other room. It is surprisingly easy to swim through this water and they make it there in very little time.
Shadowsilver arrives first, climbs onto the platform near the ceiling, identifies the dragon’s rune and pushes on it. Nothing happens.
Burton arrives and lights a candle, which creates a shimmering effect from the rune. Spraying lantern oil across the flame makes the rune glow, but then goes out.
Qarzdaq then arrive on the platform. Burton and Shadowsilver fill him in on what they just did, and Qarzdaq knows that it is going to be his Fire Bolt that will save them all. He unleashes one against the dragon’s rune, it glows brightly then the stone cracks and turns to ash, falling into the water.
Seeing this as a result, though not knowing its effects, Shadowsilver and Burton begin to swim back to the dragon’s room.
Qarzdaq then unleashes another Fire Bolt against the padlock’s rune, with the same result – the ashy remains of the stone falling into the water. He then jumps into the water and makes to head back to the dragon’s room.
In the meantime, Tholannan revives Max, only to have him fall once more. Waist-up, inside the dry air; waist-down, still in the water, his fall causing small ripples along the boundary.
Qhortho continues to battle the beast and manages to wrap it up in its own chains. Hog tied, the beast poses little threat.
The upper half of Malrik’s body, bursts into flames, filling the dry air with the stench of burning flesh.
Qhortho, runs over to Malrik’s body, clearly too late, and attempts to pull him into the dry room, the body’s legs twitching as they enter the dry air, causing energetic ripples along the entire boundary of the invisible barrier. As Qhortho pulls the body, he rips its upper half from his lower. The previously unburned part of Malrik’s legs burst into flame.
Qhortho roars in rage at his fallen comrade. As he does, the dragon bursts with energy, radiating so much heat that the iron chains melt around it, freeing it. Qhortho sees the glowing rune lose its intensity and be reduced to an ashy scar.
The battle continues.
Shadowsilver arrives in the dragon’s room and heads straight for the door in the back and finds the chest’s padlock snapped open. He opens the chest and finds a glowing artifact attached to a thin chain necklace. This must be the Tear of Life. Shadowsilver quickly pockets the artifact and heads out of the room as Burton re-enters and gives Shadowsilver a knowing glance.
The entire remaining Assembly is now back at the fight and after a few more attacks, Qhortho unleashes the final blows, slicing the necks of the dragon and cutting it vertically, directly down the center of where both necks join to the body.
As the beast falls, the invisible barrier holding back the water disappears and the water rushes in, knocking the entire party off their feet. Instead of feeling like they’ve been run over, they get more of a feeling that they are being lifted up.
Leaving the Labyrinth
As you exit through the hole in the ceiling, leaving the flooded Labyrinth behind, the group is in the middle of thick brush, with a very narrow path cut through. It is nightfall. A fire burns a short distance away, given away by its reflection on a rocky formation ahead along the path.
Burton goes up ahead to scout it out, barely peeking out of the bushes. He sees a large bonfire blazing and a shadowy figure standing in front of it, facing the fire, cloaked in a red hooded robe. Burton then signals to the rest of the group to stay back and keep quiet.
Qarzdaq, seeing all the signs of a fellow servant of R’hllor, walks out and attempts to speak to the disciple.
The figure turns its head, recognizing Qarzdaq’s existence, then turns fully around to face him. She says, “I see he sent a fool to run his errands for him…” and before he or anyone else has time to act, she says “R’hllor guards me!” and a ghostly apparition appears before her.
An instant later, the wispy image takes the form of a flaming sword and a shield with the image of a flaming sword on it, hovering in the air as if held by some spectral being.
The shadowy figure flees behind the fire and off into the woods. The sword and shield remain hovering in place.
Shadowsilver dives back into the Labyrinth and spends a minute or two skinning the dragon.
Qhortho runs up to the apparition and is stopped in his path, the sword slicing at him doing some damage then returning to its original placement. The figure dims slightly as Qhortho takes some damage. Burton attempts to sneak past it and is met with the same consequence, with the figure dimming slightly more.
All attacks on the being have no effect; ranged attacks fly through the spirit as if non-existent; melee attacks are met with the lack of resistance and no change to the being.
Qarzdaq approaches, the figure raises its sword, then just returns to its original position, dealing no damage.
Tholannan attempts to run past it and is stopped, taking damage as the Qhortho and Burton had; the figure dims a little more.
Everyone is able to move freely around the apparition without any additional damage being dealt, so once Shadowsilver comes out of the brush, he attempts to walk past the spirit and is met with an attack and a moment later, the sword and shield disappear, fading into thin air.
Finally, for the first time since entering the Labyrinth, there is no longer a presence of persistent danger.
The Assembly, one man short, decides to take a long rest by the fire to prepare for the journey back. It is at this point that everyone notices that the wispy demonic image that had been floating in front of Shadowsilver’s face is gone.
After waking, entirely refreshed, the remaining Assembly finds their way back to the entrance of the Labyrinth, and they begin their trek back the way they came towards Tyrone’s temple.
After a few non-descript days, resting along the way, they walk out of a thinning forest and look down the path they once ascended; the sight is that of a rising sun behind the temple where they awoke just a week earlier.
As they approach the temple, Tyrone walks outside to greet them.
”I am glad to see you back, though I see you are a man short.” Looking obviously pained by the loss of life, he says, “I am sorry. I am so, so, so sorry.”
“Were you able to collect the Tear?”
The group changes the subject and asks their reward, thinking they hold the power in this transaction.
Tyrone puts up with this, knowing that they are young and foolish – and they never asked for any of this.
“I do not have any coin for you, but you are welcome to keep the weapons and armor with which you left here and any spoils from the labyrinth… I have no need of such materials. Oh and…,” Tyrone smirks, “I do have some things in the back you may want.”
Tholannan, who had been wearing the Tear, hands it over to Tyrone.
”I am impressed by your abilities. You will truly be remembered as saviors of our people and I thank you. A promise is a promise. Please show me your chains.”
The group, now standing in a circle with Tyrone, raises their left wrists into the center.
”I hereby… RELEASE YOU.”
You hear that same “clink” of the chain’s release that you heard before Max fell. The chains fall to the floor as if in slow motion.
As the chains are falling, the party feels a sudden sense of freedom but a simultaneous lessening of power. Tyrone stands up a bit straighter and he seems a little stronger – not the feeble man you saw moments ago. He lets out a sigh of relief as his skin tone gets a little richer and healthier. As this all plays out, the party realizes it has grown in experience and wisdom, learning more about the world in the past week than they’ve learned all their lives.
The entire party levels up!
Burton quickly asks, “So where are these goods you spoke of?”
“Ah yes, please check the rack inside.” Tyrone motions to the weapons rack from where you took your weapons when you were here last.
On the rack are the following weapons:
- A mace with a dark wooden handle, engraved with warriors fighting a dragon rider – on its head, 8 symmetrical iron leaves and a barbed spike on top
- A red oak quarterstaff with a burned image of a flame at the top
- A dagger with a dragon face etched into its wooden handle and a small nick near the hilt
- An arakh with an engraved dragon bone handle
Tholannan recognizes his mace. Qarzdaq recognizes his quarterstaff. Shadowsilver recognizes her dagger. Qhortho recognizes his father’s arakh.
They each pick up their weapons, Burton feeling a bit shafted by this “reward”. As Burton turns to object, clearly about to cause dissent, Tyrone magically silences him.
”Did you happen to see who did this?”
Qarzdaq responds, “It was some woman in red…”
Tyrone cuts him off, “I knew it! That woman is Andrea Redmess.” Looking around at the group, “I know her quite well – or I thought I did. She worked here at the temple with me, but it seems she is too deep an agent of R’hllor,” as he glances at Qarzdaq. “Did you happen to see where she was headed?”
The group just looks at each other.
“So, she is still out there… who knows what she’s going to do next – clearly the time she spent here was not what she made it seem. We practiced in peace for so long…”
Tholannan asks about the woman and her connection to the woes faced by the Rhoynar. “I was on my way to provide balms and salves to our troops when you interrupted my journey for our people!”
Tyrone says, “Ah, well my apologies for that, but I fear that is not going to be near enough to do anything worthwhile. I understand the need to do something, which is exactly why I cam to Westeros so many years ago. I have not been updated on the state of the Rhoyne cities for some time, but it can’t be good. As for how Andrea fits into this, that is a long story and perhaps I can tell it to you on a short trip.”
“I need to head to The Sandship to meet with Lord Martell so he knows the Tear is no longer in danger. I know Lord Martell at The Sandship is in need of services from a capable group of adventurers, such as yourselves because he was speaking of some great peril. Though I’m not sure how, I’d find it hard to believe that these events are not connected. However, knowing Lord Martell, it could just as easily be that he’s having issues with rats in a cellar. I know not of any details myself. I am sure that if you seek to provide assistance though, he will be able to reward you with more than I can. I will certainly vouch for your capabilities. If you are interested, you may join me for that trip… It’s only about a 20 minute walk or so.”
“Of course, none of this is being forced upon you. I thank you again for your service and you are free to go. But since there are also taverns and merchants around The Sandship, you can at least stop and rest… and probably sell any gear that you won’t be needing. I know it’s not exactly the largest town, so you may find better prices further west.”
“If you decide to come with me, you might as well check in with Martell while you’re in the area, right? Along the way, I can tell you the story of my history with Andrea Redmess.”
“And may I suggest purchasing some new garments worthy of a Lord’s presence once we reach town? You lot look like you just came out of a shipwreck!”
The group decides to go along and Tyrone, sensing that Burton’s attempted dissention has been quieted for the moment, removes the silence spell from Burton. Burton flexes his jaw a bit to be sure he can use it at will. As they start their short walk to The Sandship, seeing it clearly in the opposite direction of the Labyrinth, to the relief to the entire Assembly, Tyrone begins his story…
Tyrone’s Landing
“Perhaps 15 years ago, I left Ny Sar where I served under Princess Nymeria. I saw the superior progress being made by the Valyrians for what it was: the potential end of the Rhoynar people. I knew that I could not do real good while in Ny Sar so I sailed west to make a home for the Rhoynar so that when the time came, my people would have safe refuge.
“I landed on the shores of Dorne and upon arrival, I was greeted with desert. Nothing but blasted desert. Not exactly a great start for the people that hail from the rich lands of the Rhoyne. So I made my way to the closest thing I recognized as civilization and was met by Mors Martell. He welcomed me with open arms and told me that he would not prevent me from making a home here as long as I helped him with his efforts to make the Martell name mean fairness and for his lands to be a haven of progressive thought.
“Over the course of our conversations, I taught him a bit about the ways of the Rhoyne, and the Tear fo Life, and he embraced the philosophy wholeheartedly. And after a short time, I built my temple with some help from the Martells so that I could accomplish two tasks: to inform travelers of House Martell and to spread the word of woe about my people so they would be well met when they undoubtedly would arrive.
Andrea Redmess
”So… Andrea… About 5 years ago, this woman showed up on the shores of Dorne, near the temple I had been operating for many years. She was just like any other weary traveler; I give them a place to rest and stay, share my bread, and ask nothing for it except a few moments of their time to talk to them about the Mother Rhoyne and of the Rhoynar people. The more folk that know our plight, the more will be aware of the Valyrian threat to the world.
“It turned out that she was a servant of R’hllor, on a mission from Volantis to spread the word of her Lord of Light throughout Westeros. Clearly at odds with my life’s mission. But oh was she a beauty. And when she asked to not be turned away, I could not refuse, especially because she was so respectful of the Rhoyne. This was not the experience I have had with other fanatics, but it is the outlook I keep myself.
“I knew she must be of some stature because she brought with her an artifact of R’hllor, ‘The Amulet of Lightbringer’ she called it. You see, I was of high stature with the Mother Rhoyne and among the Rhoynar people, and I had my own artifact, ‘The Tear of Life’.
“Well a day turned into a week, a week into a month, a month into a year. The bond we formed was built on true respect for each other as well as each other’s ideas. Sure the debate was heated at times, but it was never all-out fighting. We spoke at depth regarding the features of Water and Fire essence.
“We worked together, bringing in weary travelers and both spreading our words to those who would listen. We even hung our artifacts on the wall as a symbol of coexistence and peace.
“About a year ago, the tone of our conversations began to shift. The debates grew in intensity and were more about the mechanics of controlling Water – I mean the true Essence of Water, not water as a simple substance. She wanted to understand the Power in more detail, not just the trickery of moving the substance around for effect. I took this as an immediate threat.
“You are all quite young so you may not know this, if you learn nothing else of these forces until the day you die, you must know that combining them is a very bad idea – you should NEVER cross the streams of magical forces. The gods do not approve of this. There is a legend of someone who did this long ago. He wielding unprecedented power, so much that entire armies could not stop him. The legend states that the gods themselves had to step in to quench his life.
“So as I said, I took this as an immediate threat and just avoided the questions for some time. Could you imagine if even a drop of Water knowledge fell into the hands of R’hllor’s servants? They could wipe out the Rhoynar for good! The Water is our only defense against the Fire and dragons. However, her intensity continued to ramp up until about 3 months ago, when she disappeared with both the Tear and the Amulet.
Tyrone looks off into the distance, “I could not believe… I didn’t WANT to believe that she had done this…” He then refocuses and continues the story, “I tracked her into the mountains to a path where an old ‘prison palace’ once stood. I sensed a strong force of Fire Magic – a force that has not existed in this region as long as I’ve been here and knew immediately that this was Andrea’s work.
“After dealing with the suit of armor that you no doubt had to deal with, the staircase opened to the Labyrinth below. I could sense the Fire Magic growing in strength as I took my first step down that staircase. I knew immediately that if I continued, I would not make it out alive. She is very cunning and she must have designed this to break me and force me to tell her the Water secrets. I needed to find another way.
“What I’m about to tell you may seem selfish, but not going myself was the right course for all of the world’s future. I had a bigger role to play and needed to do whatever it took to get the Tear back. So I devised a plan, in which you all found yourselves a part.
Tyrone’s Plan
“I decided that I needed the help of others, but who could I employ to do such a task. It was clear that I needed people, and I figured there were plenty of different sorts on the seas every day. The Stepstones just off the coast allowed for a way to source such guests. There were a number of groups that attempted this task before you…
“With the first, I hoped that the lack of a Water magic presence would help prevent them from being harmed, so I told them how to enter and let them proceed as they chose. However, fear got the best of them and they retreated back to me.
“With the next few groups, I took a different tact. I decided not to tell them how to enter. I figured that any group that could figure out the entrance and not run in fear would be best at getting the Tear. The first two of these were unable to enter and they came back. But the third, they made it into the labyrinth and even made it through a few rooms AND they were able to find a piece of map. However, they too succumbed to fear and retreated. They brought the map back with them though, so that was better than nothing.
“With the next group, I gave them a little bit of an edge. I gave them that piece of maps and some simple gear, which I had collected over the course of these runs. I decided that, based on the information from the previous groups, the creatures in the labyrinth were not necessarily magic-driven, so having a bit of Water magic might prove useful. I decided to imbue these simple weapons with some basic properties. After about a week, I knew they had either fled or they were lost.
“Not knowing whether the magic did more harm than good, I sent the next group without any magical enhancements. This group did not have a map either though, so I was a bit nervous for them given the past experiences. This group did seem to be a hearty bunch though. Anyway, this group made it into the labyrinth and confirmed the deaths of the previous group. They were even able to retrieve the map. They ran into a few traps that must have been armed down there for a long time, and partially injured, they retreated and thought that retrieving the map would be enough for me.
“Then you lot came along. There was something different about you. It was like I rolled six d20’s and they all came up 20. So I decided to go all-in with you. I provided those bracelets that I could use to keep you on path and that I could channel myself into so I could join you somewhat along your path. It was very risky for me to do that, but I did not see another group like you coming along any time soon. You are a very unlikely group indeed.
At this point, Tyrone is interrupted by a group of four men riding horses, who you had seen coming from a ways off. When they get within about 20′ or so, one of them, clearly the leader of the group speaks to you in a scruffy voice, “Aye, who goes there.” Clearly not expecting a response, he continues, “Looks like you might be traveling a bit heavy. How ’bout we lighten your load a bit.”
Tyrone responds, “We are no concern of yours, clearly you are not from these parts, I ask that you not come any closer and that you be on your way.” He then puts his arms up slightly to the sides, motioning that the Assembly get behind him and not approach the travelers.
The leader dismounts his horse. Wearing minimal scrappy leather armor, he draws a battle-worn short sword and points it at Tyrone, the tip of the blade maybe 6 inches from Tyrone’s face.
Tyrone, stoic, “I ask again, please be on your way.”
“Or what, old man? You and the youngsters here think you have a say in this?”
Without another moment’s pause, Tyrone sweeps his staff to smack the man’s blade to the side, uses his momentum to spin around, grasping the staff with both hands as he spins, and sweeps it up, connecting with the man’s chin as he comes back around to face him. The man staggers backward.
Tyrone brings his arms low and out in front of him, still holding his staff in his right, and raises his arms slowly, “By the POWER OF THE RHOYNE!“
His arms shake slightly as he raises them slowly, as if raising something that is quite heavy. It is then that the party sees water coming straight out of the sand, forming a sort of moat around the men on horseback, including the man who was pushed back towards his troupe. The moat has a dry area behind the group, giving them a clear exit.
“I SAID TO BE ON YOUR WAY!”
The stumbling man clambers up on his horse and the entire group ride off. Tyrone lowers his arms and the watery boundary recedes into the sand.
“You never know who you’re going to run into out here… Ok, well let’s be on our way then… Where was I? Ah yes… I also put a little bit of fear in you by insinuating that I had caused harm to those who failed before you, but nothing could be further from the truth. Every one of those guys and gals before you that made their way back to me was sent on their way to The Sandship to live out their lives in peace.