Hammer 17, 1489
Dre'zel my love,
As over a dozen Duergar on their towers bellowed their war cries, and five Quaggoth emerged from behind Xardorok, who blasted Saritu with Hellish Rebuke and an Eldritch Blast, I sought refuge in the shadows.
Too many braziers littered the cavern, more for heat than light, but I needed, nor wanted, either. As I withdrew and tipped over the nearest brazier, an Umber Hulk was dragged from around a corner by taut ropes leading to invisible handlers.
Thinking myself clever, I struck the dragon’s heart that was encased over the forge. This, I thought, must be the source of the dragon’s power. If I can destroy it, surely the dragon would be diminished. But I would be proven wrong, later learning that Xardorok ripped into the heart himself claiming that nothing could stop him!
JoJo rushed in, followed by Taimen. Then Talyth entered, calling out to Grandolpha’s followers. Three duergar in an eastern tower nodded in acknowledgement.
Then, three heavily armored Duergar Hammerers emerged from behind a tower and moved to surround Talyth.
A goliath and a polar bear emerged behind them from the prison cells. It was immediately apparent that these were foes of the Duergar as the polar bear engaged the Duergar Hammerers.
Suddenly, I was flanked by two Duergar who appeared from their invisibility and struck me with their hammers. Then the Umber Hulk approached, and I was confused.
When I regained my senses, I was running blind until I heard Talyth call out to me. The power of her voice snapped me back to my senses. I was in the forge chamber, Taimen was down, and Princess Skullcrusher was by her side. Xardorok was gone, but Talyth was surrounded by Duergar and Quaggoth…and they were dying!
Talyth was enveloped in a swirling aurora of divine power—further proof that her faith was justified and reciprocated by Auril’s favor! This divine force was gradually ripping the life from her enemies who dared to approach too near. The Quaggoths, except for their queen, who was surrounded by mirror images of itself, fretted in fear outside the bounds of Talyth’s divine aurora of radiant death, trying to work up the courage to approach. A surge of warm energy washed over me at the sight of Talyth's dominance and I was filled with pride and inspiration to be fighting by her side. If this was to be our final battle, we would take many of our enemies with us.
Dodging the Duergar who had come down from their towers, I struck down the Quaggoth Queen threatening Talyth, as well as two of its minions who looked like they were about to charge.
Then Xardorok emerged from a door to the south, followed by Grandolpha, who immediately turned on him in open ridicule.
Ripping the Dragonborn’s heart from the Quaggoth queen, Talyth placed it in her companion’s chest and Revivified Taimen!
JoJo was wrestling with two enlarged Duergar, shoving each other into the scalding forge. JoJo got the upper hand and finished them, but then Xardorok was there and put the were-barbarian down.
As Xardorok approached Talyth threateningly, I struck him in the chest with an arrow, and the ogre-sized Duergar fell, mumbling something infernal as he died! Victory would soon be ours!
Ambrose smashed the Umber Hulk while it was dueling with the polar bear, finishing it and the battle.
With our enemies vanquished, Gataar, JoJo’s Goliath friend, introduced Rowan the druid, who transformed from their polar bear form into a Goliath with elven features.
Grandolpha applauded our victory and even awarded us with treasures. My initial instinct was to strike her down, but I knew it would be wrong when she clearly wanted no part in this battle. She assured us that she did not seek revenge but intended to return to the Underdark to continue running her very successful family business. Before leaving, she took the time to answer many of our questions about the fortress and even gave us the codes to unlock Xardorok’s treasure vaults.
We turned our attention to the chamber where Xardorok had apparently retreated to and later emerged from. We could hear the familiar sounds of an elevator coming from the south.
Opening the door to the chamber, we found a statue of a Deep Duerra with the top of its head sheared off and replaced by a flickering stone brazier. Chained to the statue was the tortured remains of an Illithid.
Nearby, a doddering old Duergar priest began preaching of Deep Duerra, but somehow Talyth recognized them as an imposter and called their bluff. The Duergar transformed into a barbed devil, a servant of Asmodeus, as Talyth had surmised.
The ensuing battle was short, as JoJo cut the devil down with his radiant sword. Talyth then put the Illithid out of its misery.
Saritu detected magic in the creature’s miter and Identified it as a Hat of Disguise, which JoJo took.
While Talyth and Taimen rested, the rest of us found Xardorok’s treasure chamber, which was filled with many chests, one of which was engulfed in yellow mold that Steve easily burned off.
Using the combinations provided by Grandolpha, I opened each of the chests, all of which were filled with an assortment of treasures, including a Wand of Web. But of all the treasures, only two caught my eye. The first was a golden Drow wedding mask, which I look forward to using one day. The second was a piwafwi, in good condition, which I snatched up, eager to give it to Talyth. My eyes were also drawn to a cursed demogorgon statue, which paralyzed me for ten minutes when I gazed upon it.
Gathering our things, we prepared to return to the nautiloid ship where we could rest and try to intercept Xardorok’s dragon. Soupmeister Steve announced that he would not be joining us, instead choosing to make this fortress his kitchen. I suspect some ulterior motive as I struggle to imagine anyone traveling so far into the Spine of the World for his soup, regardless of the quality.
Despite the overwhelming battle ahead of us, my heart is filled with joy. In addition to watching Talyth unleash the power of her conviction to fell her enemies, I am hopeful that my deeds this day have brought honor and proved me worthy of the same love and commitment I have had for you since the day I pledged myself to you. Now, I can allow myself to look forward to my eventual return to your side and a time when you will hold me worthy of being your partner.
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