Clutching at his gored belly and explaining that Syleen’s gang was known as the Stone-Cold Reavers, Brakkis pleaded, “If you just let me go and give me a horse, I’ll be on my way. I’m too old for this.”
Berreck called Boaromyr to his side as he tied Brakkis up and searched his companions. When Jabarl and Dobin began to stir, we silenced them for good, ensuring all the fallen Reavers were dead. We let Brakkis keep his pouch, but collected 81 coins from the others, 20 gold and 61 silver.
We explored the Reavers’ quarters, finding what was once a smithy, barracks, and storage room. Their bedrolls were spread out in the barracks. The only items of interest we found were a half-full bottle of wine and a silver brooch in the shape of a raven’s skull, which Diesa stowed.
We placed Brakkis in the storage room with some blankets and slept the night in the barracks. It was cold, but nothing we couldn’t bear.
In the morning, after we untied and fed Brakkis, we let him leave with a shortsword and a horse. They both shivered as they made their way down the narrow trail.
We agreed that we would need to be stealthy as we confronted the dragon, which Berreck expressed was concerned that I might not be able to manage. “Not everyone can be like me,” he added, “except for you, Boaromyr,” praising our furry companion vigorously.
As we crossed the bridge from the gatehouse to the main fortress, Boaromyr snorted loudly. I quietly hushed him, and looked up to see the massive white head of the dragon peering over the edge of the fortress roof and a blast of frost shooting down at us.
As soon as we were inside, I shut the doors behind me, and we made our way to the crypts where we recovered.
After resting and eating, we made our way to the roof. I cast protection from energy on Berreck, to protect him from the cold.
At the top of the stairs, Berreck peaked out of the nearby arrow slit and saw the dragon lying there on the outer roof, facing away from us and the building that still sheltered us.
We crossed the room filled with heaps of furs, antlers, rotting dwarf, human, and orc heads, as well as other trophies and spoils of war, along with destroyed furniture that appeared to have once been impressive. Clutched in a corpse's hand was a jeweled greataxe.
I gave Berreck one of the beads from my necklace of fireballs, and began to move into position. Berreck warned me that the roof outside was covered in slippery ice.
As we threw the beads, the dragon swung its massive neck around and the two of us were once again engulfed in frost, while the dragon was engulfed in flames from northeast and southwest. The flames instantly melted large swaths of ice covering the roof.
Again, Berreck was able to dive back, avoiding the worst of the blast, while I was unable to maintain my concentration, exposing Berreck to any further blasts of frost.
Boaromyr was snorting furiously from within the building as I hit the dragon with my spiritual weapon, but was unable to penetrate its scales with my warhammer.
Again the dragon engulfed us in frost and the cold was too much for me.
The next thing I knew, Berreck had dragged me inside the building and was standing over me, preparing to pour my potion down my throat, but I had recovered enough on my own. He had a large bite mark on his shoulder.
Just then another cone of frost blasted Berreck as the dragon breathed into one of the building’s arrow slits!
Boaromyr, who was lying unconscious, and I were shielded from the frost blast by the stairway wall. I channeled my divinity to preserve life, reviving Berreck and Boaromyr, and healing myself a bit as well.
We all dashed down the stairs before the dragon could strike again.
Once downstairs, we hid in the crypts once more. Unable to hunt our forage in the mountains, we were aware that we were eating into our limited rations.
It wasn’t until the next dawn, after we had all slept for the night, that we felt we had recovered enough to confront the dragon again.
Before we headed up from the crypts to the roof. I gave Berreck another bead from my necklace, and cast protection from energy on him.
We tried to approach the roof stealthily, but Berreck was stomping angrily as he climbed the stairs.
Boaromyr and I hid inside the building as Berreck stepped out onto the roof and threw his bead. Again the dragon was ready and issued a blast of frost. Berreck was protected from the cold and managed to launch his bead, engulfing the dragon in another fireball, immediately melting the ice in the vicinity.
I ran to heal Berreck with cure wounds and ran back inside for shelter from the dragon.
The dragon swiftly launched itself at Berreck, biting him and tearing into him with his claws. Berreck, in his rage, hardly seemed to notice and slashed Axdraka with abandon deep into the dragon’s scales.
Noticing that Boaromyr was petrified with fright, I stepped out on the roof, cast spiritual weapon, and tossed another fireball at the dragon.
Roaring in pain, the dragon raked its claws into Berreck.
Berreck responded with two mighty swings of Axdraka and the dragon’s blood was spewing all over the icy roof and the two of them. The dragon appeared to withdraw, only to swing around and smash Berreck with its tail.
Again I stepped out briefly to heal Berreck with cure wounds and withdrew to cover inside the building.
Feeling victorious, we both noticed the unguarded coins and gems piled where the dragon had lain.
Berreck was badly wounded, and sat down to rest inside the building, while I began hauling in the treasure from the roof.
Once I had finished, I sat down inside with Berreck, admiring the vast amount of treasure we had amassed until he was feeling fully recovered.
The three of us dashed down the stairs and hid in the crypts once again.
Again we rested until the next dawn, when we were fully recovered.
I cast protection from energy on Berreck for a third time and, although we agreed to approach stealthily, Berreck the Great stomped up the stairs.
When Berreck reached the top, he peered out of the arrow slit, but this time he did not see the dragon.
Entering the room, we saw the treasure was gone, save for a few stray coins. Berreck said it seemed as if the rest had been swept outside. Frantically he looked out of all the arrow slits in the building’s four corners, but the dragon was nowhere to be seen.
As I watched from an arrow slit by the stairs, Berreck stepped out onto the roof. Around the corner, he found the treasure piled against a wall.
As Berreck was examining the treasure, the dragon leaped down from the roof of the building I was in, and blasted Berreck with frost.
Berreck howled in rage and slashed the dragon with Axdraka, briefly slipping on the ice.
I cast spiritual weapon and toll the dead on the dragon.
Blocking the doorway from the building to the roof, the dragon ripped into Berreck with its teeth and claws. Berreck slashed Axdraka deep into it again, only to be slammed with its tail.
In a rage, Boaromyr charged it, boring its tusk into the dragon’s rear, and briefly knocking it prone as it screeched.
The dragon rose and tore into Berreck again with its teeth and claws. Berreck continued to ignore his wounds and dug Axdraka deep into the dragon’s hide as he was bashed with its tail once more.
Determined to defend its lair, the dragon bit Berreck again, and tore into him viciously with its claws, screaming, “You are no match for me! I am Cryovain!”
Berreck heaved Axdraka with a mighty blow, slashing at its neck. As its head bowed, Berreck leaped onto its back and brought Axdraka down on its skull, splitting it and driving the dragon to the ground!
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