LXIV. The Dracontomachy

The next morning, fully rested, and somewhat restored (except for the guards, who had suffered severely from the vitality-draining powers of the spectres and dread wraiths), the wagon train set off on the next stage of their journey. After seven days, they emerged from the Sulhaut Mountains to face their next obstacle: a tremendous desert, extending south, east and west as far as the eye could see.

They now followed the foothills of the vast range, along the northern fringe of the desert, where even the hardy desert vegetation soon disappeared into the burning sands. "We need to head west about a hundred miles," the merchants advised the adventurers. "Then we turn southwest," they continued. "Eventually we’ll reach an oasis, then the final leg will get us to Uf."

"That’s a lot of desert to cover," Edward noted.

"Then we’d best get started," answered the merchants.

After five days of difficult travel, the wagon train had advanced about sixty miles west. It was late in the day. The path the wagon train was following began to curve to the right. Suddenly Edward held up. "Do you see that?" he asked Green Arrow. The elven archer paused, listening. He heard what sounded like the sound of distant roaring. Both of them spotted something flying toward them at speed.

The flyer rapidly came into view. A couatl.

Edward heard the creature speaking to him telepathically. None of the others in the wagon train heard it.

"Can you help us?" pleaded the couatl. And it began to explain the need that drove it to seek the aid of Edward and his companions.

Ten years ago
Iphess and Simeheff, great wyrm brass dragons, life mates, long-time residents in the far reaches of the Sulhaut Mountains just north of the Sea of Dust, were enjoying their recent good fortune. Seismic activity in the area had caused a large rockslide that had exposed the opening of a large tunnel into the mountains. A subsequent windstorm had exposed a road leading into the tunnel.  Investigating the newly opened tunnel, the dragons came upon a huge mining complex, long-abandoned and the work of some unknown race or nation, perhaps the ancient Suel from over a thousand years ago, that appeared to have abandoned the mine suddenly and while it was fully operational. Vast metal ore deposits and large quantities of refined metals were piled and strewn about the complex. Nothing could have been more pleasing to a pair of brass dragons.

The two dragons began to assemble the metals into a huge hoard, and combined it with gold, silver, coins and other precious objects from their previous lair, which they soon abandoned in favor of the mining complex. They also made every effort to secure their new abode, and to prevent word of their discovery from leaking out into the wider world. For a treasure trove of this magnitude would surely attract plunderers from all over the multiverse if its existence became known.

And yet, despite their best efforts, word somehow did leak out.

Earlier that day
"Motion to the south, and dust," Iphess warned Simeheff, her mate. The two dragons were positioned just inside the entrance to the mining complex, which was about thirty-five feet wide by twenty feet high. A short, triangular valley, about sixty yards long and bound by tall cliffs, extended into the mountainside, ending at the entrance.

"How much can you see?" the male dragon asked.

Iphess focused her gaze out into the desert sands. "Great wyrm blue. Looks like Zizz," she continued. They had battled this particular great wyrm blue dragon, Zizzetokhtaangkesh, in years past, when they had dwelt in their previous lair. "And bluespawn. Four stormlizards at least. And a godslayer."

"Knowing the blues, probably more that cannot be seen, likely burrowing toward us," observed Simeheff. "We must summon allies."

Iphess was a master of conjuration magic, and proceeded to summon as many allies as she could. A pair of celestial elephants, a celestial triceratops, a ghaele eladrin, and a couatl answered her call.

The dragons and their summoned allies swiftly deployed outside the entrance to the mining complex, Iphess and Simeheff taking their places just outside the entrance, the celestial elephants on their right along the valley wall, the triceratops across from Simeheff to his left against the opposite valley wall. The eladrin stood to Simeheff’s left; the couatl flew overhead above the triceratops. The dragons and their eladrin and couatl allies spelled up as best they could in preparation for the onslaught of their blue enemies.

Flying farther upward, the couatl struck first, directing a fireball at the approaching stormlizards. All four of the Tiamat-spawn were scorched. The great wyrm blue dragon soared toward Simeheff. His stunning breath spell was countered by Simeheff’s dispel magic; his follow-up breath weapon attack did minor electrical damage to the brass dragon. The remaining defenders held their ground.

"Ambushers approaching!" the couatl warned Iphess as it continued to fly above the battle. It had spotted a horde of ten bluespawn ambushers heading toward the defenders from the right, along the edge of the foothills leading to the valley.

Zizz took wing and soared over Simeheff, attacking the brass dragon as he winged over and banked to his left, making a U-turn and preparing for another fly-by. His tail-slap missed Simeheff. The brass dragon, in response, flew up and over the valley wall and struck at his blue enemy, slashing at his back for moderate damage. As the two great wyrms battled, the godslayer (now seen to be a fighter as well) rushed toward Iphess. She instantly struck the enemy dragon with a chaos hammer spell, wounding and slowing the creature.

Now the celestial elephants and the celestial triceratops redeployed to form a wall to the defenders’ left flank, opposing the assault of the godslayer, and the advancing stormlizards. From above, the couatl launched another fireball, this time blasting the bluespawn ambushers for substantial damage.

The blue wyrm continued flying back over the valley, then turned back and fired a cone of cold at Simeheff. The spell failed to penetrate the brass dragon’s spell resistance and fizzled harmlessly. But now the ghaele eladrin’s flamestrike blasted the blue dragon, and Simeheff, soaring upward above the valley, followed with a fiery breath attack that singed his foe’s scales. Meanwhile, as the celestial elephants stood their ground, Iphess benefitted them, and the triceratops, with her wand of mass bull’s strength. The added strength was immediately put to use against the charging stormlizards. Both bands of creatures wounded their foes, but the stormlizards were confused due to the elephants’ protective cloak of chaos bestowed on them by Iphess. The triceratops joined in the battle, devastating one of the stormlizards.

Another fireball from the couatl blasted the stormlizards. But the flying serpent then spotted yet another group of foes approaching. "Burrowers!" the creature warned Iphess, as ten exceptionally large bluespawn burrowers appeared to the defenders’ right and then quickly burrowed beneath the sandy floor of the valley. As they did so, Zizz flew up and back over the right valley wall in a flyover attack against Simeheff, but his bite missed the brass dragon. But Simeheff continued on his flightpath, turning to the right until he was heading back toward Zizz. A blast of fiery breath seriously wounded the blue dragon.

The battle raged. The godslayer slowly moved into contact with the celestial triceratops, but the huge beast ignored it, instead focusing its rage on one of the stormlizards, which it fatally impaled on its horns. The celestial elephants likewise attacked the stormlizards, who struck back with a fury, in their confused state, both at the dragons’ allies and at each other. Iphess’ timely mass cure critical wounds kept the elephants and dinosaur in fighting condition.

Meanwhile, the ghaele eladrin cast holy star, producing multiple fire bolts at the godslayer for serious damage. Now the couatl focused its attention on the godslayer as well, blasting it with still another fireball. The godslayer in turn landed a vicious blow on the celestial triceratops. The eladrin continued with a holy smite, striking the godslayer and the surviving stormlizards. Iphess joined the struggle, flying to land behind the godslayer, from which position she bit and bloodied the blue Tiamat-spawn.

Overhead, Zizz flew in a 270-degree turn to assault Simeheff from the south. The blue wyrm attempted to dispel his foe’s cloak of chaos, but failed. Simeheff launched into a twisted Immelman and headed back toward Zizz. A word of chaos stunned and deafened the blue dragon, and he plummeted to the ground!

At the other side of the valley, the three surviving stormlizards moved into flanking positions about the celestial elephants and triceratops. Suddenly, arcs of lightning sizzled between the dragons, shocking the elephants and the dinosaur for serious damage! Enraged, the elephants struck back, battering two of the stormlizards.

Something made its way into the awareness of the couatl. Several immense creatures were present. Creatures that were invisible, and that were rushing into the battle. "Three dragons incoming. All invisible!" the winged serpent alerted Iphess and Simeheff. Before either could react, Simeheff heard the rush of wings beating the air, coming at him from his left. A slashing fly-by attack seriously wounded the great wyrm. The invisible attacker wheeled around and landed behind Simeheff. Another invisible attacker flew over Zizz, severely wounding the helpless blue wyrm, then turned around and landed between Zizz and the mine entrance.

Little did the invisible attackers know that Simeheff’s true seeing revealed their presence. Still, Simeheff focused on the visible enemy. The brass dragon landed south of Zizz and inflicted a savage bite wound on the blue dragon. While her mate was thus engaged, Iphess landed and breathed at the (not-so-)invisible dragon south of Simeheff. Her fiery breath weapon blasted the dragon for serious damage. But then yet another intervening dragon blasted Iphess with superheated sparks, shocking and burning her, then slashed at her as he flew over, inflicting still more wounds. The creature made a U-turn and landed west of the dragon that Iphess had blasted.

Meanwhile, the godslayer struck the celestial triceratops, but in turn was burned by another firebolt from the eladrin’s holy star. Landing next to the dinosaur, the ghaele eladrin strengthened the beast with bear’s endurance. The dinosaur needed all the help it could get: the stormlizards attacked it, and the elephants, with electrical bolts and gore attacks. In return, the brass dragons’ allies savaged the stormlizards.

The valley was now filled with dragons and dragonkind. Zizzetokhtaangkesh, the great wyrm blue dragon, and his bluespawn minions, battling the great wyrm brass dragons Iphess and Simeheff and their allies, and both battling the three extra-planar interlopers, two tremendous rust dragons and a ferocious iron dragon. Zizz, still deafened but now able to attack again, focused on Simeheff and viciously wounded the brass dragon. Simeheff attacked back for even more damage. But now the smaller of the two rust dragons rushed Simeheff from his blind side and attempted to strip the brass dragon of his magical protections and steal them for himself via a reaving dispel. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Simeheff battled on. From Zizz’s blind side, the larger rust dragon also charged, and laying a claw on the blue dragon, tried to make him dance. Otto’s dance proved resistible, however, and Zizz remained focused on Simeheff for the time being.

Seeing her need, the ghaele eladrin flew to Iphess and provided a timely heal spell. The female brass dragon then attacked the smaller rust dragon’s right flank rear, biting and drawing blood. At the same time, the iron dragon crashed into Iphess and also bit.

Off to the right side of the valley, the godslayer, no longer slowed, had slashed at Iphess as she charged at the smaller rust dragon, wounding her seriously but suffering from confusion due to Iphess’ cloak of chaos. The stormlizards swiftly linked up to deal more electric damage to the celestial elephants, the gored the dinosaur and one of the elephants. Their number was reduced to two as the celestial triceratops fatally gored the first of the stormlizards. But the stormlizards in turn took out one of the elephants.

The battle was becoming desperate. From his aerial observation point, the couatl spotted movement far around the bend of the foothills to its left. It cast see invisible to ensure that no hidden foes were also nearing, and detected for evil, but found none. Hoping that the approaching beings, whoever they were, might prove friendly and able to help, the couatl sped toward them.

Suddenly, the great wyrm blue dragon disappeared, only to reappear three hundred feet above the valley floor. The lesser rust dragon seared Simeheff with a line of acid. The larger rust dragon moved in and again tried to compel Simeheff to dance, but failed to overcome the brass dragon’s spell resistance. Iphess, seeking to reposition herself, withdrew back and up two hundred feet above the eastern wall of the canyon, while Simeheff retaliated against the larger rust dragon with a fiery blast that burned the creature for serious damage. Simeheff then flew up and over the west side cliffs, leaving the valley.

As the colossal dragons battled, the godslayer began to babble, still confused. The eladrin seized the opportunity and seared the godslayer with two light rays. But now the iron dragon joined the attack, biting the godslayer as he flew by to pursue Iphess. The two surviving stormlizards gored the celestial elephant and triceratops, killing the remaining elephant. The triceratops took out another stormlizard, leaving only one left to deal with.

Mid-day
The couatl approached the advancing wagon train. The party appeared to include at least one powerful fighter. Speedily the flying serpent reached the party.

"Can you help us?" pleaded the couatl telepathically to the fighting human below.

"Who are you?" answered Edward, aloud.

"I am an ally of two noble brass dragons. They are under attack from evil blue dragons and bluespawn of Tiamat. And all are now prey to three planar dragons suddenly appearing to intervene, for purposes unknown," the couatl explained.

"Why are you under attack?" Edward continued.

"The brass dragons can tell you more. Most likely to plunder the metals and the treasure they have discovered and accumulated."

Edward shot a quick glance back to Green Arrow and Lina. Then, scarcely pausing for their reply, he answered the couatl. "We shall assist you!" the paladin declared. Green Arrow, following Edward’s lead, advised the wagon train crew to pull off the road and take shelter, such as it was, in the foothills north of the road. He pulled an item out of his haversack. "Take this," he told the leader of the wagon train. "It’s a bracelet of friends. If you find yourselves in danger, activate it and I’ll be there."

Lina promptly shapechanged to solar form. "Let’s see what these dragons can do!" she urged. And the three adventurers accompanied the couatl to battle.