#58 - Dragons and Deceipt

As told by Magnus of the Island of Seren.

These dragons were lying to us.

Filthy sneaky green dragons always lie. Just like in the old story we heard from the river captain, green dragons are tricky. As we stood here at the mouth of the cave, I told Clarion and Rendar that I was sure the dragons lied about everything and that Cyper and Aleae were in grave danger. I thought that those green dragons, young as they are, were usurpers like Garcerix, and that Sorethyress is an old dragon like Lucerix, and I bet she was in trouble from these new greens…

Finally Clarion agreed with me and he headed down the hall to see what he could see. It was't long before he comes back having been detected by the female. At least he could report that they’re all well down where Cypher is “healing” one of the little dragons.

And then, soon enough, Cypher reported that he was finished and that we could return. We did, and the little greens seemed to have actually been truthful...so far. Cypher had freed the male wyrm from the circle of power than bound it, and the other was telling us that her “aunt” was in the next room—ensorcelled by some sort of mirror and unable to move.

Size comparison between an old green
dragon and an average-sized warforged.

I asked for our gem back so that we could prove to Sorethyress that we came from the king of Breland and that we were there in honesty. Soon enough, we were making our way forward, leaving the young greens behind us. There were vapors filling the passage around us and we soon entered a huge chamber filled with mist, gas, and a large pool of water likewise tainted by venomous fumes. The gas seemed to affect Clarion and Rendar somewhat. Strange, as warforged don't even breathe.

Half submerged in the pool was a huge green dragon, wreathed in noxious gas, with her head arched up toward a ledge up the wall. She was breathing hard and the poison was venting out of her open mouth, filling the cavern all around her. A few seconds confirmed that she was not otherwise moving. I scampered up the wall and saw that she was indeed lost, looking in a mirror: a mirror of polished black stone, part of a flattened side of a huge chunk of obsidian. The last time we had seen such reflective black rock it was deep underground—and Halbazar was affected by it.

The rest of the party followed me and Cypher started to circle the huge block of mirror-stone. He learned that it had small runes all  over it and that there was lots of magic involved. He said it was Goblin in origin. Matheu the pseudodragon was there too—he was stuck staring into the mirror and he said to us in our minds (his body not moving), “I cannot look away."

The demon behind the dark mirror
was as much bone as flesh, with
brain matter visible through its spine.

With permission, we draped a cloak over him and got him away from the dark mirror. I said we should do the same thing for the Sorethyress, but all the rest of them thought that she was engaged in some kind of contest with her mind and that breaking her gaze might hurt her. This was not our goal."

As we looked into the mirror, we all eventually see some bone-demon on the other side, it seems to be staring right at Sorethyress. A second, smaller, almost monkey-like demon also lingered in the dark reflection, though we could not all see it at first.

Either way, the bone demon seemed to be the source of our problem, at least with Sorethyress. Rendar, who had stayed below, circled the large cave, crossing the lake and finds corpses of two other smaller dragons on the other side. Sorethyress has had an interesting year! Meanwhile, Cypher put on the Emperor's Key and commanded the mirror to "open," whatever that's supposed to mean.

Rendar soon joined us and just as quickly approached and put his ear against the mirror. His body froze in place and we could see his reflection moving on the other side of the mirror! Soon enough, we all experimented and found that we could cross back and forth from one side to the other. Although it looked physically present, the bone demon was insubstantial and we could not seem to affect him.

We explored the tunnel and found a path back away from the mirror face. There was an intersection and the glimmer of fire across the hall.  Some twisted stairs came up to this level from a deep chasm and we saw a ghostly apparition walking, then flying, up the stairs toward us. Singing. An elf woman and then another in rotting garments. They both seemed to recognize Aleae in some way and targeted her first. They used their voices like a weapon, and the scream from one of them created a sensation in me like no other. I became...bodiless for a few moments, if that makes any sense. When it was over and I reformed, the pain was a memory, but it was stronger than any I had ever known. I did not like this place and its lack of physical things.

We killed the banshee and its sibling. By this time we had all notice that we had thin tendrils of magic connecting us to our bodies in the real world, to the mirror we had come from…. I sure hoped we would stay connected to it!

We pressed on down tunnel towards the fiery glow.

Soon enough we saw a HUGE DEMON covered in fire and horns and with huge bat wings from its shoulders. Even in our spirit-like state I knew I had never been in the presence of something more dangerous, more powerful, except for one....

The demon was standing still, facing another mirror wall and beyond it we could see a dark space....a cavern or nighttime valley, and within it, just behind the glass, a massive red dragon sitting there. Not sitting, but perched, staring back through the mirror just like Sorethyress, but even more angrily, fire belching from its mouth.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but I knew deep inside me though I had seen him with my own eyes only once before: It was LUCERIX HIMSELF, squaring off against this mighty demon.

He was moving about but his eyes never left the demon. This was the time of the prophecy! This was the time where men can truly aid the dragons. I flew into a rage and attacked the demon with my mace, though it towered over me at twice my height.  I charged and his fire burned me. I make a perfect swing, and it passed through his form like smoke. But he felt it—just barely.

He shrugged and grunted and a few of little demonic minion dogs popped in out of nowhere and tried to drive us off. The rest of the party did not share my desire to kill this demon or die in the trying. They focused on the dogs and are yelling for me to flee.

Never.

They killed the minor demons—by now it seems we were becoming slightly more "solid"—and launched attacks at the greater demon itself. I continued to burn in his flames and mashed at him with my maul. We seemed to be dragging him into this realm, or we were being dragged into his. Our attacks were at least distracting him.

Lucerix seemed to notice the demon’s disarray. The great red dragon redoubled his efforts and flame spewed from his jaws as he snarled. This was the glorious partnering of man and dragon. We shall help him to victory! I would die here.

And then, Lucerix spoke, and his voice rolled through the mirror. "SEREN!" he roared, and I knew he meant me. He could not see me, or us, I think, but he could feel our presence. None is greater than Lucerix. Through spouts of flame and moments of intense struggle against the demon, Lucerix spoke these words:

“The Defiler has already come…he has weakened Seren…

...and divided the Light of Siberys…  

Find the descendant of Vensharatryx. She lives yet. 

The Defiler fears what she...can reform…”

My glorious rage drove me beyond the words of my dragon lord. I would continue to fight this demon until I was dead or Lucerix has won… I continue to pound at his smoky form and burn with every swing. I did not want to hear what my lord was telling me but I did (or do) understand: this battle was not for me. The demon was greater than us...for now. If it could hold Lucerix in place, it was mighty indeed.

Yet dragon-fueled rage kept me going. The demon's flames continue to burn. My friends were shouting for me to flee with them. The others had even discerned another figure there, standing at the base of Lucerix, but I wasn't paying attention. My lord had, I was trying to understand, given me a new mission.