Aulicus Reborn - Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Chapter 80

 

Aella, Alot, Craig, and Corvid stop atop the battlements of the citadel at Seaton, prepared for the imminent attack of the resurrected black dragon, Aulicus. 

Craig noticed a swelling of the ocean in the harbor far below. A mass of water rose up, washing onto the harbor jetty a hundred feet below. The water receded, revealing a swarming mass of crab! 

The crab ranged in size from normal to jumbo. They seemed to be led by a crab the size of a human - it was Bess! Bess was leading an army of crab to help defend the city of Seaton.

Then, to Craig's amazement, he saw Bess turn and address a humanoid with a lute strung over his shoulder - it was Cai'luin the sea-elf bard. 

Cai'luin had returned!

 

CHAPTER 80

"AULICUS REBORN"

The Crew of the Sea Ghost:

• Alot Aname - Neutral Good Warforged Fighter, ancient sentinel of a wizard's fortress, spent several decades deactivated underwater, Captain of the Sea Ghost.
• Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf Outlander and Storm Sorceress from Ket, daughter of the king of the sea elves, deck sorceress and first mate of the Sea Ghost.
• Patriarch Craig "Blunderbuss" Oxworth - Lawful Good Dwarven Priest of St. Ogden (Cleric), sailor and shipwright, bosun of the Sea Ghost.
• Cai'luin Manaan - Chaotic Good Sea-Elf Bard, member of the royal family of the tribe of Manaan. Cook of the Sea Ghost.
• Corvid Ravenson - Neutral Good Fallen Aasimar Paladin of Vengeance and Divine Soul Sorcerer, sent to Oerth to avenge those who wronged his angelic "brother", Auric Ravenson. Second mate of the Sea Ghost.

DM- This is it! This is the final chapter in our Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign.

Cai'luin Returns

Patriarch Craig said a short prayer and his voice became miraculously amplified, "Cai'luin! Up here!"

Cai'luin dashed up the stairs through the warehouse district towards the gate house of the citadel. In a moment he had rejoined his friends atop the battlements. 

"Where have you been?" asked the dwarf.

"Oh, just rescuing my people's sacred coral polyp, convincing them to help defend the coast from the Brotherhood ships, and rallying all the crabs of the Azure Sea to battle. That's all."

"We're glad you're back."

Final Preparations

A warm breeze picked up. The fires of sea battles were visible out at sea. The invasion was underway. Somewhere in the night sky was a black dragon ridden by a crazed dragon cultist bent on destroying the citadel of Seaton. 

The team had three scrolls bearing a spell of Flight between them and three people capable of casting them - Aella, Corvid, and Cai'luin.

Patriarch Craig, who had for several weeks been suffering under a curse from the magical Deck of Many Things, prayed to his god Tristin, the Raven King, for assistance. "Oh Mighty Raven King. Hear my prayer. Remove this magical curse placed upon me so that I might mete out divine vengeance upon this foul dragon that defies you will."

DM- Patriarch Craig used his Divine Intervention cleric ability to ask his god to remove the Medusa card's curse that gave him -2 on all saving throws. Only a god or the magic of The Fates card can end this curse, so Divine Intervention was his only option.  He had an 11 percent chance of success. It was a long shot. 

There was much cheering and laughing at the table! It couldn't have come at a more opportune time!

Patriarch Craig thought he heard a voice from far away. It said, "Huh? What? Who is this? Whatever. Sure. Go for it!" He felt reinvigorated! He was free from his curse!

The others mapped out their scroll strategy. As soon as they saw the dragon, Corvid would use a scroll on himself, Cai'luin would use a scroll on Alot,  and Aella would use a scroll on Patriarch Craig. Using this strategy, the close fighters could go toe-to-toe with the dragon in mid-air while those with ranged attacks remained on the battlement. 

Corvid said a prayer to Tristin and a majestic steed miraculously appeared. Corvid mounted the noble beast and prepared for battle.

Attack on the Tower

Everyone was on high alert, scanning the night sky for any hint of the dragon. Suddenly, one of the guards on one of the towers screamed in pain. The hapless fellow melted from a stream of acid that emerged from the darkness! Cries of fright and alarm issued from the other guards in the tower as they abandoned their posts in fear.

Corvid read the spell on the scroll, casting flight upon his steed. He took to the air, galloping towards the tower. He caught a glimpse of something large moving in the night. He sent forth a bolt of holy fire that struck the dark shape, briefly illuminating it and revealing it to be the black dragon, Aulicus, and his rider the evil priest Orgmond!

Aella immediately read the spell on her scroll, granting flight upon Alot. 

Alot immediately shot into the night sky towards the dragon.

Craig, expecting Aella to cast the spell on himself, leaped into the sky with no effect. He sent a stern glare at Aella. "You were supposed to cast flight on me! You know, like IN THE PLAN!"

The sorceress shrugged, "Sorry, I got caught up in the moment!"

Cai'luin said, "Don't worry! I got you covered!" The sea-elf bard read the spell off the final scroll, granting Craig the power of flight. 

The dragon Aulicus flapped its wings to reposition. A stream of acid shot forth from its mouth. The acid sprayed upon Alot and Corvid. Alot was able to hold up his magic shield and deflect the acid but Corvid took the brunt. 

DM- Corvid failed his save and took 44 points of acid damage. Alot made his save for half and used his Warforged ability to reduce that to zero.

The dragon's rider pointed his hands at Alot and uttered a prayer to Tiamat. Aella pointed the magic Trident of Manaan at the priest and the prayer was disrupted! 

DM- I was trying to cast Guiding Bolt. Aella interrupted. It was the first time she had used the Counterspell feature of the trident! Fun!

Alot shot towards the dragon and began repeatedly stabbing the rider, the priest Orgmond, with his magic javelin. Alot shoved Orgmond with his shield, knocking the rider out of his saddle. Orgmond was stuck in an awkward position and unable to move. Alot seized the advantage and continued stabbing the rider over and over and over until he lay slumped, strapped limply into his saddle, dead. 

Aella hurled a bolt of magical lightning at Aulicus. The dragon writhed as electricity arced off his armored hide!

Aulicus saw Aella cast the lightning bolt. He became incensed! "You! I remember you! You are the one who slew me! I will feast upon your bones!" He tried to evade the others in an attempt to fly towards Aella but his way was blocked by Alot. 

Father Craig followed up with a bolt of fire from the heavens! 

Cai'luin cast a bardic spell to create a sphere of psychic static around the dragon. The haphazard placement of the attack caught Alot within its area of effect. The static had a minor effect on Aulicus but Alot was left shaken and addled. 

The dragon bore down on Alot, being the only target within arm's reach. Aulicus bit into Alot and tore at him with his claws, rending parts of the automaton sentinel's nigh impervious armor. 

DM- Tail hit for 10, Claw critical for 24, Claw hit for 26! 

Corvid charged through the air atop his holy steed. He slashed and stabbed at the dragon with his magical sword Faith Keeper! 

DM- 31 damage, then 30 damage!

Aella followed through with a sorcerous Chaos Bolt!

The dragon flailed its tail around in an attempt to strike Alot but to no avail. 

Alot stabbed the dragon over and over with his magical javelin

Patriarch Craig prayed for a guiding bolt to strike the dragon, illuminating the dragon in radiant light! 

Cai'luin cast another bardic spell of synaptic static, this time paying attention to the position of his colleagues. Aulicus fought against the attack but it was too much. The dragon lost consciousness and plummeted towards the river 120 feet below!

Corvid dove down towards the river. There he found the dragon, barely alive. He stabbed the dragon through the heart. There, bobbing in the river in the dark, he cut out the dragon's heart. He returned it to his colleagues so that Patriarch Craig could burn the heart in holy fire, ensuring that the dragon could not be resurrected again. 

Epilogue

DM- After the battle, I gave my players some broad strokes of what happened at Niole Dra, Saltmarsh, Manaan, Monmurg, etc. but I left the details up to them. I would ask them questions like "So, what happens to Baron Solmor - does he live or was he assassinated? Now that the royal family and the courtiers are dead, does the Duke of Seaton take a greater role in running the kingdom?" That kind of thing. 

In the weeks and months that followed, it became known that the entire royal family, along with many courtiers, visiting dignitaries, and other nobles and merchants, had died from poison during the celebration of the solstice in Niole Dra. Baron Solmor, having been kept from the festivities by his servant Skerrin, survived. The hapless baron was ushered away from the capital and taken back to Saltmarsh. 

When they returned, they found a town in revolt. Aella finally placated her rival Eda Oweland with news that the sea elves would assist the fishermen of Saltmarsh by filling their nets. This alliance allowed Aella and Eda to foment rebellion among the commoners of Saltmarsh, overthrowing the town guard and temporarily arresting Commander Fireborn and Manistrad Copperlocks. Baron Solmor returned to find his home ransacked, his treasury emptied and shared among the townspeople. Aella told the baron that his title meant nothing without a mandate from the people. 

Skerrin had disappeared and could not be found.

A new town council was created - one elected by the residents. The position of Mayor was created to replace the authority once held by the baron. The mayor would be elected by the townspeople. 

Cai'luin oversaw the rebuilding of Manaan with the reestablishment of the sacred coral within the druid's grove. He did his best to bring together the survivors of the attack to rebuild the kingdom. Prince Aegon and Princess Nyx could not be found.

Craig and Alot left Saltmarsh to spread the knowledge of the Raven King, Guardian of the Gates of Death, throughout the land. 

And thus ends the story of the Ghosts of Saltmarsh - for now. 

The End

The Calm Before the Storm - Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Chapter 79

Aella, Alot, Corvid, and Craig disembarked from the Sea Ghost on the evening of their arrival in Seaton. Cai'luin had disappeared - he had left to go help his friend Oceanus rescue the sacred polyp from the koalinth. 

The rest hired a carriage - one suitable for a wealthy merchant or visiting noble - to take them to the citadel. The guards at the gate waited for a herald to announce their arrival but no herald emerged from the carriage. Aella looked towards Corvid. Corvid grimaced and shook his head. She looked to Craig. The dwarf scratched his beard and spat. Aella shook her head. Aella looked towards Alot. The cold lenses of the armored automaton's emotionless visual sensors stared back at her. She sighed and exited the carriage herself.

"Please tell Duke Feldren and his daughter Lemundo that Aella, presumptive queen of Manaan, has arrived and seeks an audience."

 

CHAPTER 79

"THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM"

The Crew of the Sea Ghost:

• Alot Aname - Neutral Good Warforged Fighter, ancient sentinel of a wizard's fortress, spent several decades deactivated underwater, Captain of the Sea Ghost.
• Avastana "Aella" Kádár - Neutral, Half-Elf Outlander and Storm Sorceress from Ket, daughter of the king of the sea elves, deck sorceress and first mate of the Sea Ghost.
• Patriarch Craig "Blunderbuss" Oxworth - Lawful Good Dwarven Priest of St. Ogden (Cleric), sailor and shipwright, bosun of the Sea Ghost.
• Cai'luin Manaan - Chaotic Good Sea-Elf Bard, member of the royal family of the tribe of Manaan. Cook of the Sea Ghost.
• Corvid Ravenson - Neutral Good Fallen Aasimar Paladin of Vengeance and Divine Soul Sorcerer, sent to Oerth to avenge those who wronged his angelic "brother", Auric Ravenson. Second mate of the Sea Ghost.

DM- I had originally planned for this session to be the climax but two things got in my way - Cai'luin's player was absent and I didn't really know how to get the story towards the climax I wanted. The player characters were at point A. The climax was at point B. I was at a loss for how to connect those dots. So we spent this week role-playing, planning, researching, and otherwise preparing for the final battle to come. In so doing I was better able to move from that point A to point B in a more logical way that still allowed the players some agency in their own story. 

The Citadel of Seaton

Aella and her entourage were escorted into the duke's manor house but were met at the entrance by Lady Lemundo, daughter of Duke Obertus Feldren, Lord Marshall of the citadel of Seaton. 

Lady Lemundo was ecstatic to see her old friend Aella. Lemundo escorted Aella into the mail hall where the duke's advisors were sitting to share a meal. Lemundo introduced Aella and Alot to those present but relied upon Aella to introduce the rest for she had not yet met Patriarch Craig or Corvid.

In attendance were the military commanders of the king's navy and army stationed in Seaton as well as the priests and patriarchs of the local temples of Heironeous, Saint Cuthbert, and Procan. 

Aella told Lemundo that she and her crew had come to speak to the duke about a very important matter.

"What matter is this?" inquired the bold and commanding voice of the duke as he descended the stairs from the upper floors of the manor house.

Aella and Alot told the duke of the impending surprise attack by forces amassed by the Scarlet Brotherhood, about the planned assassination of the king, and of the resurrection of the dragon Aulicus in order to attack the citadel. All of these events were scheduled to transpire on the night of the Solstice  when the tides were highest and the townsfolk would be distracted with celebrations - eleven days hence.

Duke Feldren shook the hands of Aella and Alot and was introduced to Craig and Corvid. He acknowledged that he had received a messenger from Commander Fireborn in Saltmarsh informing him of this news. "These are bold claims. Do you have evidence to support this?"

Alot produced the coded correspondence between the Scarlet Brotherhood and the Serpent's Tooth. The duke nodded and said that this confirms his own suspicions. His own military intelligence told him that the Scarlet Brotherhood had been importing ship-loads of slaves from Hepmonaland into the city of Monmurg over the past several months.  It was now clear that these so-called slaves were, in fact, soldiers being covertly transported across the Azure Sea and that the Brotherhood was preparing for a major attack along the southwest coast of Keoland.

The dinner became transformed into a planning session as tables were cleared and large maps were produced. Alot suggested the redeployment of the king's navy to protect the towns of Saltmarsh, Angleburg,  and Redshore.

DM- There was a lot of great non-important role-playing that happened here as Corvid and Craig were introduced to the other priests and talked dogma and ritual. Lots of friendly conversation with the duke and his daughter. 

 

Searching for Scrolls

The next eleven days were spent preparing for the battle to come. Aella and Corvid returned to Saltmarsh to visit Angela and Rosalee's Herbs, Potions, Teas, etc. in the hope of acquiring some magical potions that would allow them to fly. They needed some way to meet the dragon in the air. Unfortunately, that was not a concoction that the shop offered. The pair considered seeking the aid of the wizard Keledek but dismissed the option.

DM- The players asked about any wizards in the area. I suggested Keledek - the only wizard in the region as magic is supposed to be rare and unpopular in Greyhawk. 

Alot's player asked, "Wait, isn't he evil?"

I replied, "I mean, you guys labeled him as evil but I'm not sure why. He has an agenda that was different than yours and, so far, anyone with a different agenda than you tends to be immediately labelled ad 'evil' for some reason."

Alot's player said, "Yeah, but didn't he have some arrangement with the Loyal Quartermasters of Iuz?"

And I said, "Insomuch as you all also had the same arrangement. He purchased magic items from her, same as you. Does that make him evil?"

Alot's player said, "Good point. Huh. I always just assumed he was a bad guy for some reason."

"Well, he's not exactly a GOOD guy. Like I said, he just has his own agenda."

I explained how he hired the smugglers to obtain the black dragon egg - his goal being to use the egg as a hostage or a bargaining chip in case Aulicus the dragon attacked Saltmarsh. And how, once they stole the egg and framed the smugglers, he got revenge on the leader of the smugglers for the betrayal. Oh, he also used his invisible imp to spy on people around the town. But that was the extent of his "villainy". 

Aella and Corvid then spent the next week scouring shops and sellers for magical scrolls. They were able to find a map shop in Seaton that happened to have three magical scrolls, each containing a spell of flying, rolled up within a map. 

The Scrying

Patriarch Craig became friends with Doran Serpentwing, priest of Heironeous in Seaton. Serpentwing was a barrel-chested man in his fifties, bald with a stout muscular frame of someone who was a powerful warrior in his prime and yet still formidable in middle age. Craig told Serpentwing how Aella had defeated Aulicus and returned later to face the cult of Tiamat that dwelled in the ancient tomb of Sakatha. He described Orgmond, one of the assistants to the high priest of Tiamat, and how he escaped death and stole the book known as the Liber Draconis.

Serpentwing, in turn, told Craig how he was familiar with the Liber Draconis and the cult of Tiamat. Forty years ago, Serpentwing was a member of an expedition into the jungles of the south that discovered an ancient temple to Tiamat. They defeated the monsters that dwelled there and returned with many treasures - including the Liber Draconis which for many decades was kept well-protected. Then, just over a year ago, one of the priests of Heironeous tasks to guard the Liber Draconis - an acolyte named Ul-Lon. Ul-Lon betrayed the temple of Heironeous and joined the cult of Tiamat. He was relieved to hear that Ul-Lon met justice in the bowels of the Tomb of Sakatha - but he was saddened to hear that the Liber Draconis was in the hands of the cult ot Tiamat.

Patriarch Craig asked Serpentwing where they found the temple. Serpentwing described a mountain-top temple deep in the jungles of Amedio. He showed him on a map.

On the seventh day prior to the impending solstice, Craig used this information to perform the scrying ritual and remotely observe the location indicated by Serpentwing. He observed Orgmond the dragon priest of Tiamat making preparations for a dark ritual in an ancient mountain-top temple fortress overgrown with jungle. He repeated the scrying ritual at midnight and observed Orgmond removing a heart from an ornate metal box. The heart was the size of a man's entire torso. It was the dead heart of Aulicus. Orgmond placed the heart in the center of a large circular altar. Craig then saw Orgmond remove a black dragon egg from another box. Orgmond placed the egg on a sacrificial pedestal. Orgmond was wearing black robes and a golden symbol of Tiamat. He caught a glimpse of Orgmond's features. The dragon priest had taken a more draconic visage - he had begun to slowly transform into a dragon.

Orgmond raised a dagger with a curved blade high over his head. He began chanting ancient words of power. Orgmond plunged the dagger into the egg, slicing it open and withdrawing the dormant dragon hatchling within. He cut out the heart of the hatchling and threw it into a burning brazier. It flashed and sparked and the smoke began magically pouring onto the ground, snaking its way towards the massive heart of Aulicus. The magic smoke enveloped the heart. The smoke took on the form of a prone dragon. 

Tendrils broke free of the heart and snaked outward, forming a phantom circulatory system. Bones grew from the smoke. Muscles and tendons formed. Scales began to grow on the freshly materialized skin. Aulicus took a breath! Aulicus was reborn! 

A bound and frightened Amedi slave was presented as an offering to the dragon. The dragon grabbed the offering and bit off his head. He swallowed before finishing off the rest. The dragon then collapsed, exhausted. It was weak and needed to recuperate.

DM- MAN I loved describing that scene. It was great! Very visual and sensory. Alot's player said, "Wait, we're not fighting an undead dragon?" I said, "No, just a resurrected dragon." He was sad, "Aw, I was kind of hoping to fight a cool dracolich or something. Now I'm disappointed."

Craig shared this information with Alot. 

Alot cursed, "If only there was some way we could get there! I mean, we have a ship right? How long would it take?"

Craig explained that the dragon needed only four days to recuperate. It would take three days to reach the nearest port in Amedio. From there they'd have to go overland through the jungle for over a hundred miles. It took Orgmond's expedition at least a week. 

Alot said, "The solstice is in seven days. How are they going to get here in time?"

Craig pointed out - the dragon would not need to return the way they came.

Craig continued scrying every day for the next week. For the first four days he saw the dragon recuperating, eating living sacrifices and regaining his strength. On the fifth day, two days before the solstice, he saw Orgmond riding the dragon like a mount, using a special saddle, as the dragon flew across the sea. 

On the sixth day, the day before solstice, he saw the dragon sleeping in a city. Craig could not identify the city but there were many ships in the harbor. 

The Solstice Feast

At dawn the following morning - the morning of the solstice, Craig wore his finest clerical vestments. He gathered the crew of the Sea Ghost together with the Duke of Seaton, his daughter, his advisors, and the leaders of his military. He produced a fabulous golden bowl encrusted with gems. He said a prayer to Tristin, Saint Ogden, and Saint Splug. A wondrous feast miraculously appeared before all present. They ate from the feast and were emboldened. 

Towards sunset Craig performed the scrying ritual one more time. He saw the dragon flying north with a coast to the east. He was coming.  

They knew from the correspondence that the attack would come during the high tide near midnight. The duke had positioned his ships along the coast. Anyone unable to fight or support the fighters were sent inland to Burle. Every fishing boat had been transformed into signal ships, ready to light signal fires to warn the towns of the incoming raiders. Armored roofs had been constructed for the towers of the citadel to protect the ballistae and trebuchets and their crews from dragon attacks from above.

Captain Alot, Princess Aella (Presumptive Queen of Manaan), Patriarch Craig - High Priest of Tristin, and Corvid - Champion of Tristin, stood on the parapets of the citadel of Seaton. The sun had finally set. It was near midnight. The tide was near its zenith.

Signal fires began to light up in the darkness out at sea. The ships of the Scarlet Brotherhood were on their way. 

Somewhere out there in the darkness of the night sky was a black dragon. Aella had faced and defeated Aulicus once before. That Aulicus was old, injured, decrepit, incapable of flight, and even still managed to kill all who stood against it save herself. This was not that dragon. This was Aulicus Reborn. This was to be a dragon at full strength - with all its power. 

Aella sighed, "I wish Cai'luin was here."

Patriarch Craig peered into the impenetrable darkness of the midnight sky. "Aella?"

"Yes?" she answered.

"Prepare your scrolls of Daylight."

To Be Concluded...

DM- We ended early. Cai'luin's player was absent that week and I really want him to be present for the finale. The Scrolls of Daylight reference, which Craig's player actually said right at that moment, was a reference/joke to the scrolls of Daylight she's had since the beginning of the campaign. For many months she kept offering to use it but the others said, "NO! Save them for fighting vampires!" Then, later, when they were actually fighting tough vampires, she forgot she had them. 

(sneak preview)