The Chronicles of Eberron: Chapter 4

Summary of Chapter 3: Lia, Stander and Sul traveled to the temple of Haka’torvhak where they found a lost city. In the city was a bier and two armories. They looted the two armories and found weapons of great magical power, but their excitement was cut short as a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the guard of the temple, attacked them. The party managed to stay alive by Lia’s lucky critical strike that made the beast fall unconscious. The party then was called into the temple by Rashaak, a black dragon, who told them of some prophecy and that he claimed them as his own. He gave them a ring and told them to tell him of anything that would strengthen his power.

***

''The party immediately sets out after their encounter with the black dragon to the temple of Kha’shazul, Haka’torvak’s sister temple. As they arrive there, the jungle gives way to an open space dominated by a huge stone structure, the temple. It is a mass of vine-chocked granite walls and columns. Two stone domes mark either end of its oblong shape, and a columned portico juts out from the temple’s entrance. Steam billows from somewhere within the temple, venting through high open windows twenty feet above the ground. However getting to this temple will not be easy as there are small lizardfolk encampments dotted between the party’s current location and the temple’s entrance. ''

''The party moves through the foliage on the ground, using the thick underbrush and the dark night to hide their location. For a couple minutes they progress without trouble, but they are stopped short by the outline of a blackscale patrolling the vicinity. ''

''It suddenly halts, sniffs the air, looks in the direction of the party, and starts the move at them. ''

''Lia, Sul, and Stander quickly jump up and prepare themselves for the lizardfolk. ''

''The blackscale picks up speed into a headlong rush at Lia. She easily sidesteps the imprudent charge and makes her way behind the lizardfolk. Sul and Stander both draw a magical weapon they found at Haka’torvak, Sul a scimitar, and Stander a halberd. They both lash out at the lizardfolk who is still recovering from his failed attack. Both blades fail the pierce his durable skin, but the electricity of the scimitar discharges, sending a painful shock through the lizardfolk’s body. The lizard’s courage gives away and he runs off to the nearest encampment, waking up everyone in his wake. ''

''The party stands and watches as a squad of  armed blackscales and a huge gorilla with four arms appear. They advance on the party. ''

Lia: We should retreat. There are too many of them.

''But it is too late. The four lizardfolk move to the party’s front as the gorilla, with speed, moves to the flank of the party. Stander takes a sidestep and turns around to block the gorilla from attacking his less durable allies. ''

''The blackscales savagely swing their greatclubs at Sul and Lia. The two are able to easily dodge the clumsy blows, but are suppressed from delivering attacks of their own. Stander stands strong as the four armed gorilla pounds his metal body with a flurry of blows. Most of the punches bounce harmlessly off of his adamantine body, but a few leave heavy dents. Lia and Sul withdraw from the combat, taking care to avoid the clubs. As Lia and Sul retreat, stander, however, does not. ''

Lia: We can’t leave him!

''As Lia says this, several small poison dusk lizardfolk emerge from another encampment not too far away. ''

Lia: Sul, let’s cut off the smaller ones from getting to Stander. He has enough problems.

''Lia locks her eyes on one of the poison dusk in the middle of the group and focuses her mind. Her fist becomes charged by her mind’s power, coating it in purple psionic energy. Then she rushes at the Lizardfolk with blinding speed. Lia slams into the small creature, releasing the psionic energy of her fist and killing the lizardfolk. Sul advances to another one at the edge of the pack and swings his shocking scimitar. The blade bites the poisondusk and sends electricity shuddering through his body. It falls with a sizzle and a thud. Lia and Sul fight side by side dropping each of the creatures one by one. ''

''*** ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Stander is knocked back by yet another powerful blow from the oversized gorilla. He swings his halberd and the blade slices the creature across the stomach. This wound does not hurt it, but rather makes the creature very angry. The gorilla lets out a furious roar and runs passed stander into one of its blackscale allies. The blackscale is knocked off its feet by the enormous beast. ''

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center">''*** ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Lia and Sul look upon the final two poison dusk lizardfolk left. As they are about the deliver two more life ending blows, they are stopped by a roar from the direction of the pyramid. A large creature is running at them. It has the upper torso of a muscular reptilian humanoid and a spear held tightly in its clawed hands. Its eyes are black and its sharp teeth glisten. Its lower torso resembles the body of a wingless dragon with large, clawed feet and spiked tail that flails from side to side. They identify it as a dracotaur. Sul’s scimitar starts to vibrate vigorously in the direction of the creature. ''

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center">''*** ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Stander turns his attention away from the raging gorilla and looks at the four-legged lizardfolk charging toward Lia and Sul. He withdraws from the combat and lets the blackscales deal with their out of control pet. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Then Stander charges into the direction of his allies’ new adversary. Any enemy would back down from this war machine’s powerful charge, for the thousands of pound of metal that covers his body is enough to take down even the largest foe. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''As the dracotaur turns his head, he feels Stander slam into him with the force of a meteorite. The lizard rolls sideways and quickly regains his footing. He and Stander stand toe to toe; Stander’s halberd vibrating vigorously in the direction of its master’s enemy. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''The dracotaur starts the fight by smacking Stander’s halberd with his spear and lashing out with his tail. The tail hits the warforged, but Stander is able to stand strong, and counter with his own attack. Both combatants’ pole arms smash into each other repeatedly, neither fighter caring to dodge, but rather to rely on their armored skin to block. Finally, the dracotaur feels the halberd dig past his rough hide into the sensitive skin beneath it. But this cut is no ordinary wound. The halberd vibrates, almost with joy, as it touches the dragon blooded creature’s skin. The dracotaur feels searing pain, like nothing its ever felt before, pulse through its body. Then it falls to the ground, lifeless. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Stander takes a couple steps back. He can hear the metal parts on his body rub against each other as they are bent and broken. He looks around to see the blackscales finish off the gorilla (only two remaining) and start marching in his direction. Two more blackscales approach Stander from the temple. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''As the four blackscales reach him on either side, he raises his halberd, barely, and cleaves one of the blackscales down. Then Stander whirls around to strike another lizard, but his body will not hold up. His halberd is only raised halfway before the blackscale’s greatclub smashes into Stander one final time. As it does, Stander falls to his knees, inanimate. ''

<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center">''*** ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Sul: Stander has fallen!

<p class="MsoNormal">Lia: Let us avenge him.

<p class="MsoNormal">''Lia raises her fist and her purple eyes whirl with psionic energy. Sul raises his scimitar; it crackles and sizzles with electricity. Then he rushes at the three lizard folk that dropped Stander. The energy in his scimitar twirls around his blade just as fast as he runs at the lizardfolk. Lia prepares her charge but stops as she sees another group of posiondusk appear to her right. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Lia:'' They never stop coming! ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''She changes the direction of her attack and charges into the new pack of lizardfolk, killing two with one punch, and whipping around just in time to dodge four poison tipped spears. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Sul’s blade stabs straight through the chest of one of the blackscales. The blade’s energy releases a mini lightning storm in the creature’s chest right before the blackscale dies, but Sul is not able to pull the blade free, and he stands before the two blackscales unarmed. The blackscales grin, if they even can, and start pounding away at Sul. The dragonmarked hero manages to dodge several of the deadly blows before falling unconscious, but still alive, to one. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Lia sees this out of the corner of her eye and starts to panic. She gives one last kick to one of the poisondusk and drops into a headlong sprint away from her enemies to the nearest encampment. The group of poisondusk and the two blackscales follow in pursuit. She takes an abrupt turn behind one of the crude buildings and hides between two crates. She knows her pursuers will find her. She also knows that she is going to be forced to do something that goes against her code and everything she has lived for. ''