Chronicles of Eberron: Chapter 6

Durin lets his weapon drop to the ground, his breath leaving his body heavily, but Lia barely takes notice of her comrade’s fatigue and casually walks the entrance of the door.

Lia: Are you coming?

Her exhausted partner sheathes his weapon and follows Lia to the entrance. With a touch, the door of the temple swings open, revealing a wide hall that runs from the entrance to a far back wall. The ceiling rises fully twenty feet above a central row of columns, each encircled with scrawling text. Shafts of sunlight lance down from gaps in the stone roof above, illuminating a bas-relief of a skeletal dragon sculpted into the wall at the end of the hallway. The Dragon is shown in victorious battle against a horde of demons rising like a swarm of locusts from the caldera of a raging volcano. Before Lia and Durin stands an unarmed blackscale. He lets out a small growl and runs down a side passage.

Lia: He must be warning the others. We must move quickly and find these artifacts.

The party heads down the same passage as the Lizardfolk. It is a short hallway that leads to a suite of four rooms, each apparently the residence of a large humanoid creature, the blackscales. Oversized cots made of silk rope hang in each room, and the sickly sweet smell of incense lingers heavily in the air. Each room also contains a sturdy teak chest and a motley assortment of pungent smelling clay pots and urns. These lizardfolks’ standard of living far outclasses the more primitive ones outside the temple.

At the end of the temple Lia and Durin are halted by two blackscales adorned in ornate breastplates engraved with draconic imagery. Lia sees that these foes will be far greater than the other blackscales of the tribe. She takes a step back and lets her psionic energies flow through her muscles, enhancing her strength, speed, and endurance.

Durin however, is not so readily prepared. He reaches for his kasari gama, but is barely able to draw it, for his body is cripplingly scathed from the last encounter. The two beasts advance relentlessly, just as their primitive counterparts would. The one on the left closes on Lia while the other moves to Durin.

Durin swings his weapon from his sheathe just in time to swat away a greatclub, but the chain links of his weapon collapse under the weight and shatter. Durin scrambles around in search for an alternative wile, but is cut short be a greatclub across his skull.

Lia leaps and maneuvers around several of her adversaries attacks, and she glances over just has her partner Durin falls to the ground dead.

Lia: Another useless one. Should have guessed that.

The monk tumbles backwards and avoids a lizardfolk’s powerful swing. The momentum of the force causes the lizardfolk to lose his steadiness and give Lia the perfect opportunity for an attack. She brings her fist down upon the beast. The attack slams into its decorated armor, but fails to leave even the slightest dent. Lia steps back to rethink her strategy, but there is little time because the other lizardfolk is already advancing to her.

Lia takes action and charges at the lizardfolk, but not to make an attack. Instead she leaps over their clubs and lands directly behind her opponents. There she sprints into the next room. She was hoping to find a place to hide or somewhere she can escape, but this room seems to be empty except a chained wolverine in the far corner who guards a staircase. It bites and snaps in Lia’s direction, but is unable to overcome its restraints. Lia takes her gaze off the wolverine just as the lizardfolk come crashing into the room after her. She backs up until she is halted by a stone wall, an impassible obstacle to her dire need for escape. But Lia does not give up hope, and she shouldn’t for a new being appears into the scene. But this one is here to aid her.

A crackling vortex of energy opens before Lia, distorting the space around it. Out steps from it, a dark featured individual with a red cloak draped over his body, his visage is almost enigmatic.

Dark One: Simple One, do you accept the help of the Dark Ones of Ravenloft?

Lia: I will take anything if it will get me out of this mess.

Dark One: Then so be it.

Though Lia cannot make out the face of her new comrade, she thinks she spotted a smile underneath his dark complexion. The figure raises his hand and a bolt of dark energy starts to form. The energy eddies and churns as it builds up larger and larger before it is hurled at one of the lizardfolk. The blast slams into the lizardfolk and drops it dead, the life being practically ripped from its body by the black mass. The other lizardfolk looks down in panic at his fallen brethren, but does not get a chance to look up at its aggressor before it too meets the same fate from another ball of darkness.

Lia: Who are you?

Dark One: That is none of your concern. The only thing you need to know is that the Dark Ones will call for you, and when they do, you cannot decline. You have accepted my help and therefore are in our dept. And for your partner, you might need him in the coming days, so he can have his life back.

With a flick of his wrist, life flows back into Durin, who breathes deeply, welcoming his soul back to his body, and, without another word, the dark one steps back into the vortex in which he came.

Durin precariously gets to his feet.

Durin: What happened?

Lia: I wish I knew but we must hurry.

As Lia says this, religious chanting can be heard from the staircase behind the wolverine. It is getting closer and closer. Lia and Durin quickly run to the exit of the temple.

Lia: We both don’t have the strength to fight, but we need those artifacts!

Durin: (With a wry smile) I got an idea. You said these damn things worship the dragons of this temple? Let’s show them what we did to their precious dragons.

The chanting can now be heard from the hallway. Lia and Durin exit the temple and stand next to the dead bodies of the dragons outside. A group of four armed blackscales, led by what looks to be a shaman, step through the doors to confront Lia and Durin.

The group stops and glances down at their dragon gods dead bodies.

Shaman: (Hissing) What have you done!?

Lia: We killed your leaders, but we have another dragon who we think will be even stronger then those two combined. His scales are as black as night. His acidic breath could melt even the strongest of armor and his claws can rip through pounds of stone in a single swipe.

Shaman: How can we believe you?

Lia: Because he can speak to you

Lia takes from her pocket the ring given to her by Rashaak, and activates its magical ability. Suddenly the voice of the great black dragon booms through the air.

Rashaak: Why do you call upon me my “heroes of prophecy”?

He added that last part almost jokingly.

Lia: We have a tribe of lizardfolk that want to speak with you.

Rashaak: Do they now? I guess bring them to me. (Draconic) Come lizardfolk for I am the great black dragon lizardfolk and I wish to see if your worthy of my headship. Bring to me the treasure of your temple. And let these two live. They are too incompetent to harm you.

Shaman: He sounds very powerful indeed. We will do what the Night Terror Rashaak wishes!

Durin: What was that last part?

Lia: Sounds like draconic, but I can’t understand.

The lizardfolk gather up the treasure of the temple and leave in haste to meet their new dragon leader. Lia and Durin search the rest of the temple and find an assortment of treasures that the lizardfolk seems to have forgotten. Amongst these is a necklace that has on it, beads warm to the touch and a ring with the image of a fireball.

Lia and Durin advance farther into the temple and find an alter with two objects embedded in slots. A third slot is present, but it is empty. One object is a scepter and the other is an amulet. The third empty slot looks as if a crown used to fit there.

Durin: These artifacts must be very important, but why would the lizardfolk leave them behind?

Lia: I know not, but we better show them to Sur’kil.

Lia and Durin put the artifacts in their bags and head off back to town.