Editing Game-Summaries:11/2/2019 Recollections (section)

==Recollections by Jeroy==
We began our adventure at the Bogwater Tavern.  Between adventures I had head that Arach, the last member of house Kundrak, was seen there speaking to a red-haired woman.  I could only assume this was Velah's human form.  We arrived and spoke with the Tavern's bar keeper.  I paid 1 gold for a round of ale and asked if he had seen Arach or [[Velah]] by creating small figurines of them (magic!!).  He said he couldn't remember.  [[Dereth]] paid him 20 gold, yet he was still unable to remember.  At this point [https://youtu.be/O5L1JYnnwGU?t=10 Avant began to ask the questions].  He remembered them but never heard what they talked about.  He said he hadn't seen Arach in a while but [[Velah]] had come in a few weeks ago, looked around, and then left.  Having learned all we could we left.

Hungry of more information [[Dereth]] recommended we commune with his goddess [[Vivian]].  We decide upon three questions to ask her:

Can we likely make [[Velah]] into an ally? She responded no.

Can we seal [[Velah]] within her plane with what we have today? She responded no.

Is [[Velah]] vulnerable to any elemental damage? She responded yes.

.....magic

[[Rezik]] teleports us to the entrance of the [[Plane of Night]] within the [[Vault of Night]].  It is as we left it many months ago, except I notice an envelope in front of the entrance to the Plane of Night.  Within I find a letter and read it aloud to the group:

''"Velah hasn't taken a mate since she killed Ashardalon and refuses to sell me another egg.  You of the EO owe me one.''

''-M"''

We look at each other with a moment of pause.  I imagine they also have the same burning question in their head.  Who is Ashardalon?  Everything else seems mundane.  After some contemplation I tuck away the letter, draw Bloodcrier, and motion to the Plane of Night.  "Come friends, Velah and the Horn of Valhalla await."  

We enter the Plane of Night to find ourselves on an expansive platform surrounded by expansive star scape.  The cosmos continues on around us in all directions around, including below.  There is no sound but the heavy breathing of a gigantic creature. It sounds as though it is snoring and we intend to be quiet so that it stays that way. 

"I will link us all telepathically so we don't need to speak." Rezik announces.

Our platform continues towards a four-way intersection, to the right is a room with a 4x4 grid of un-lit octagons and to the left is tall spire.  Around the spire a colored stones and up the spire are ten rows of four holes that are the same size as the stones.  Directly ahead is a large expanse surrounded by a purple forcefield.  Emerging from the floor are the tell tale scales of a Red Dragon. The scales rise and fall with the beasts heavy breath.  We cannot see all of Velah, but enough to know we are in the right place.

Dereth, [[Kaylorr]], [[Avant]], and I go to the left platform.  [[Pearl]], Rezik, [[Gramph]], and Twin Rezik go to the right platform.  It appears that we have some puzzles to solve.  On out platform are a series of buckets filled with colored stones: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.  "Put in all red" I say. "She is a red dragon."  We all shrug and place the stones and pull a lever at the base of the spire.  As we do our platform is enveloped in a purple force field.  From seemingly nowhere smoking, screaming, flying goblins emerge around us.  At the top of the spire 4 gray stones appear.  Kaylorr casts a spell and vaporizes the goblins.  "Try all purple" Avant says.  We shrug and give it a try.  One black stone appears on the next row but more creatures emerge.  We battle the creatures and the puzzle for several rounds.  Fighting off blindness and confusion in an attempt to clear the room and complete the puzzle.  We finally manage to unlock the puzzle (Orange, Blue, Purple, Orange) and as we do the [https://youtu.be/S74rvpc6W60?t=12 forcefield around Velah's platform begins to melt away].  She emerges, seemingly from the floor with [https://youtu.be/em9lziI07M4?t=164 a roar so fierce that it shakes the very cosmos].  She is a huge red dragon, standing over 20 feet tall and stares down at us with [https://youtu.be/vBEeq73bbaA?t=111 disgust and anger in her eyes].  The battle has arrived as Velah fires a fireball at Rezik, I see him stumble and hear his scream in my mind.  After he catches his breath he speaks telepathically to us all. 

"I'm immune to fire.  That wasn't a fireball, something is wrong." Rezik says between breaths.

Pearl creates an insect plague around Velah to keep her busy, Dereth and Keylorr cast radiant magic, and I summon a flaming chariot.  The battle is on in full force.  Rezik and his twin stare into each other and cast some kind of magic and Rezik turns to face Velah.  I hear his voice again. 

"We have a problem." He says

"What now?" Kaylorr responds

"That's not really Velah." He responds.  "I see the true Velah, this was an illusion.  She is actually...."

Before he finishes we see was he sees.  The true form of Velah appears before us all.  A 50 foot tall Amethyst gem dragon.  She stands over double the size before and now rather than anger in her eyes is something more unnerving.  She looks at us with confidence, in a way that conveys she is looking forward to the battle.  The battle is fierce.  Epic spells are cast, epic spells are taken from our own party members and used against us by Velah, I fight with all the might of my ancestors, and after and unknown amount of time both parties still stand.  Dereth calls out "we don't need to fight."

Velah turns her head and speaks "Oh we don't? You break into my home, wake me from my slumber, attack me in my lair, and now, NOW you say we don't need to fight.  I think you're scared you will lose."

He responds with his chest thrust forward "We came to speak with you.  The Eternal Army marches on all planes.  If we can get here the so can they.  We wish to become allies."

"Allies?" She laughs. "First lay down your arms."  We oblige.

"Now beg." She demands

"I vote no and we kill her." Rezik says telepathically nearly....instantly.

Dereth looks over to Rezik disapprovingly and turns back to Velah.  "We found what we believe is one of your offspring with the sorcerer [[Mordenkainen]].  Did you know that it was born?"

"I figured it would.  I do not care." She responds.

"He has asked us for another egg.  Have you taken a new mate?" Dereth continues his dialogue.

"No and I do not care to." She responds.

"Why does Mordenkainen want your eggs?" He asks

"He uses the shells to power items.  As long as I am paid for the egg I do not care what he uses them for." She responds, each response is colder than the previous.  But as she finishes it dawns on me - the dragonshards are gem dragon egg shells.

"May we buy an egg as a first step towards an alliance?" Dereth asks.

"You may buy one as a transaction." She responds.  Rezik teleports to the Keep, takes 10,000 gold and returns.  She is paid and rolls an egg to us.  "Now begone."  

I hear Dereth in my mind say to me "we cannot let an outsider like her remain, she may be neutral to our plights but the Eternal Army may capture and turn her like they did the giants. We have to finish this."

"How much for the Horn of Valhalla?" I call out to Velah.

She turns to me "that is not for sale. Now leave." 

I shrug and to the group I say "Sorry everybody but I want that horn." As I snap the reigns on my flaming chariot and charge towards Velah, I draw a throwing axe and launch it at her with all my might - and it misses as she lifts off the ground and begins to hover 80 feet above us.  Dereth and Rezik together cast powerful magic that brings the very dawn of the heavens down upon her and drag Velah back to our platform.  As she descends I make more more valiant charge up to her.  I swing with all the might of my ancestors with Bloodcrier.  The strength of generations of dwarves behind me as I land a blow squarely onto her exposed chest.  As I do I feel horrible pain in my mind and I fall unconscious. 

I find myself surrounded by my ancestors, they look to me and say "Not yet Jeroy" and I am blinded by a light forcing me to shield my eyes.  I awake to feel an immense pressure on me - It is the body of Velah.  My final blow has slayed her.  I crawl out from under her and check that everyone else has survived the battle.  By the grace of Valhalla we have.  

We search her treasure hoard and find the following:

# Arcane scrolls - Earthquake, antimagic field, enhance ability
# A shield of dark wood - Dereth attunes to it and immediately casts a remove curse spell on himself.  "It spoke." He said and walked away from it.
# A shield of metal - A +3AC shield.  I took it for my own.
# Leather Armor - It appears to be sentient
# A wand - It contains a spell that we have never heard of, similar to conjure animals.
# 37,000 gold
# 29,000 platinum
# 10 unfertilized gem dragon eggs

We do not find the Horn of Valhalla but we begin the process of returning Velah's body to the Keep to harvest what we can and prevent her body from being reanimated by our enemies.  It is while her body is being dissected they find that one of her ribs was replaced by the Horn of Valhalla.  I find it and immediately blow into it summoning countless ghostly warriors.  They look at me with the look of combat in their eyes "You summoned us?" They say in unison.

"The Eternal Armies march around the planes to capture and destroy all they see.  We need your help." I bellow out.

"Only call us when there is a battle to be fought." They respond together [https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/015/976/homer-simpson-bush-gif.gif and they slowly disappear before my eyes.] 

I look down to the Horn, the symbols around it glow red.  "[https://youtu.be/mCDA-m-TQdU?t=274 This is my calling, this is my purpose].  A call to arms and a call to battle.  Let this be my mark that I leave on this world."