As the party prepares to deploy the folding boat and pursue the dragon into the inky darkness, the elf (or the ghost that inhabits him?) starts to spout paranoid ideas about the dragon being a sneaky mofo and raises the idea that this is all a distraction. Well, one way to find out is to give the bat wings to the ranger and have him do a flyover of the underground cistern.
Sure enough, the dragon surfaces and snatches the flapping ranger out of the air and under the water. HFS! The group springs into action. The mage deploys water breathing spells for the party and they all jump in the boat while the water walking cleric tows them out to the middle of the cistern. The elf drops his breastplate, grabs his sword and dives overboard to attack the dragon and hopefully save the ranger. The plate clad paladin follows him over the edge and sinks to the bottom of the lake. The cleric and mage stay in the boat to provide whatever help they can.
The underwater battle is ferocious and things are looking grim until the elf manages to slide his keen blade into the damaged shoulder joint of the dragon’s foreleg and severs a major blood vessel. The water rapidly turns black from the gouts of blood. In the end, the Lad lands the killing blow and the lifeless beast slumps to the bottom of the cistern.
Some moments later, the group starts to search for the treasure they are certain must be around here somewhere, aided by the wand of metal and mineral detection. In the end all they find is a barrel with a few bags of coin, a set of human-sized male clothing, a locket and a crown shaped like a dragon swallowing its tail. They hack off the dragon’s head and preserve it, then load it into the boat.
They scull around the various pipes that carry water into and out of the holding tank, following one all the way to the edge of the bay, and the other back under the town. There they find an old well, and upon climbing out of it,. find that it lies under an outbuilding on an estate near the edge of town. The buildings are in disrepair, but are clearly used on a regular basis. The insides show signs of fortification and recent occupation and there is a newly cut trapdoor that leads to the well below.
While the mage spies invisibly upon the rear of the manor house, the cleric and paladin go to speak with the occupant to see if they are aware of the fact that their buildings are being used by nefarious persons. Meanwhile, Bababobo and Laddington stand around holding a dragon head and trying to look nonchalant. The Q&A at the doorway leads nowhere and the mage reports that the staff of the manor house didn’t display any obvious signs that would implicate them in the goings on in the sewers.
They return to town and the incredulous townsfolk want to hear their tale over and over again. Having suitably impressed the locals, the group saddles up and returns to the church headquarters to deliver a report. The assassinations seem to have been orchestrated by the dragon and it’s fleshy minions, but to what end is unclear.
Rested and refreshed, the group casts about for opportunities to adventure. The Rotting Man still lurks in the woods to the east and the Vessel of Souls is still loose somewhere in the region. The group maintains its interest in the ongoing struggle against the rise of the Horned One in the east, but wants to see if there are any local matters that could be of interest.
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