We Need a Wooden Badger - 5/22 session recap

Orvalion explained what he knew of the creation of the dragonstone so that the party would understand what was necessary to destroy it. Based on his research, he knew that Casmet Parthanak (founder of the Empire) forged the stone itself by harnessing the energies of the four elements. Brain matter from a living dragon was also necessary to forge a link with dragon minds. But a single dragon would not provide the power necessary to overcome the mighty will of another dragon. Casmet's secret lay in the knowledge of parallel dimensions. More importantly, he had discovered that dragons co-existed in multiple planes of existence at the same time.

By fashioning a set of magical mirrors, Casmet was able to bring multiple congruent universes together at the same time. At the focus was a subdued dragon. He drove a spike into the dragon's head in a myriad of universes at the same moment, and bound the power of that mental link into the first dragonstone.

This meant that the dragonstone could only be destroyed by using the same mirror apparatus and the same elemental forces that originally shaped it. Orvalion said that he knew where the mirror assembly was, and he had already harnessed destructive energies from three of the four elements.

He forged a mallet head from adamantium in raw lava while channeling a fire elemental's rage into it. He channeled lightning on top of the cursed mesa, Kopatri. And an earth elemental was summoned deep in the caves north of Tregynon.

Water energy was the only thing he said he was missing. He said that he knew the rituals to summon and bind the destructive energies of water, and he even knew where Casmet initally forged the stone (a deep ocean trench off the southwestern coast). But a simple Water Breathing ritual was not sufficient to protect the caster from the crushing depths.

The party mused on this for a while, and Orvalion said that he was pretty sure the answer was in a steel-bound journal of Casmet's that was on display at the royal residence before the rebellion and sack. He said that he strongly suspected that a magister was in posession of the journal. Vrisana revealed that she had, in fact, seen the book with Caelebhan.

This prompted a flurry of discussion amongst the party. Thoric's first impulse was to sneak in disguised as servants and steal the journal. Orvalion pointed out that a dwarf, a halfling, and a dragonborn might be easily discovered in this ruse. Other plans were made involving wooden badgers, but these too were scrapped.

The party was keen to double-dip and get paid a second time for finding Orvalion. But Orvalion said that he would never put himself or the dragonstone within the grasp of Caelebhan. But he did want his painting of Kendrini back.

Vrisana said that she could probably distract Caelbhan by summoning him to Kopatri, and showing him the clues to Orvalion's presence there. This would give the party a window of opportunity to somehow get in and steal the journal without having to face Caelbhan directly. She also said that she knew the password to his private chamber: the word "scholar" in draconic. With a scowl she said that yes, Caelbhan was that pompous.

From Ander's recollection of the party's first visit to Shandrapur, they determined that there were perhaps a dozen patrols and guards. These comprised of a mix of minions and officers. The nearby barracks housed 30 men, and would pose a problem if alerted.

A lot of other options were discussed, including the possibility of using illusions to make it seem as if the journal were still there. But by the end of the session, the party had not come up with a working plan. All they had were a few good ploys and a set of vague goals.