Unndilar 1, 835
The Clockwork companions decided to head west to the hill where the dragon landed the previous morning.
Tymlor went on excessively about the various reasons why he thought engaging the dragon instead of returning to Ank’Harel was a foolhardy endeavor but acknowledged that Tik had accurately predicted how the encounter with the dragon would go.
After traveling for about an hour, they found themselves 500 feet away from the hill and Tik sent Leery to investigate. When she returned, she reported having found an entrance between two large rocks.
It took them another hour to find and climb a relatively gentle incline up the side of the hill where they reached a small plateau where the large slanted rocks covered a slope that led down into the hill. The slope appeared to have been carved and was steep and first but evened out after about fifty feet.
After some whispered debate, Sarielle secured her grappling hook and Tik used the attached rope to descend the slope into the darkness below. Leery remained on the plateau to relay Tik’s messages.
Explaining that the slope opened into a large cavern beyond, Tik urged his companions to begin their descent so that they could stay in the range of Leery’s telepathy. Sarielle used the rope to assist with the descent with Tymlor following close behind in case he lost his grip. ACHU descended last.
At the bottom of the descending slope was a large cavern, almost a hundred feet wide and extending farther than any of them could see in the darkness. Various stalagmites extended toward the top of the cavern, at least fifty feet up.
ACHU used his Jewel of Three Prayers to make Tik Invisible and the kenku began quietly exploring the cavern. ACHU lent Sarielle his Goggles of Night so she could see in the dark and Tymlor ritually summoned a Floating Disk to silently drag ACHU into the cavern.
While exploring, Tik fell into a hidden pit but emerged with Sarilelle’s assistance with only a few scrapes.
As Tik explored further, he had Leery request Tymlor to cast Detect Magic and meet him and Sarielle in the cavern. Once Tymlor’s ritual was complete, he slowly made his way to Tik, ACHU floating silently behind.
There was no dragon in sight, and Tik pointed Tymlor toward the huge hoard of treasure gathered on a large stone slab on the far side of the cavern, which was almost 200 feet from the sloped entrance.
Tymlor could see glimmers of magic from the hoard. As Tik moved closer to the hoard they all heard a voice in their heads, “It took you long enough. Have you come to pay tribute or to steal from me?”
“Who are we speaking with?” a startled Sarielle blurted aloud.
“Akrinkon!” the voice boomed, and Tymlor felt the ground around him begin to shift.
Tymlor tried to appease the dragon and succeeded in convincing it to reveal its full form as a small stalagmite rose from the ground, revealed as the horn of a blue dragon and the dragon emerged, not that much bigger than a large horse. He then offered it Zybilna's dagger, but Akrinkon could smell its hag origins and rejected it in disgust. Tymlor repeated the attempt, offering the dagger from the fort, which the dragon accepted by calling a kobold out of hiding to retrieve the dagger and place it on the pile of treasure.
Tik offered a gift of information, telling Akrinkon about the fire giant and suggesting there could be more. But this only seemed to offend the dragon, who insisted it had nothing to fear from giants.
Tymlor asked Akrinkon about its hunting, to which the dragon stated it didn’t harass the city of Ank’Harel or its trade routes.
ACHU noticed something off in the dragon’s specificity and began to press for more details. Tymlor joined in and Tik began antagonizing Akrinkon until lightning began to crackle in its jaws.
Using Misty Step, Tymlor found cover where he could psychically lash out at the dragon. Tik withdrew, blasting it from a distance while Sarielle engaged it, darting around it with her Echoes and assisted by Leery and Tymlor’s owl. Akrinkon’s lighting breath took Tik and nearly took Sarielle down as well. Kobolds fired arrows from holes in the cavern walls and one hit Tik with a beehive, which ultimately took the kenku down. Fortunately, ACHU was there to Preserve Life, revive Tik, and Bless them both with the Everlight’s favor. Soon after Leery poisoned the dragon with her blade, Tik stunned it and Sarielle landed the killing blow.
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