While the clergy develop plans with the architect and plan for expenses,.the mage wants to do a bit of digging on the mage Melkerech – who apparently has a grudge against the party for stealing his books. With the help of the Singing Swans monastery Malchor is able to find a reference to a mage named Melkerech on a passenger manifesto of a ship arriving at Marsember about 100 years ago. Same mage? Maybe, maybe not but that is the only scrap of information they have found so far.
Returning to the lair of the bibliophile, the group returns to the one unopened door to find it has been opened. Inside the chamber, the mouldering remnants of some sort of demon? or other nasty thing lies sprawled on the ground. Of the dagger, there is no sign. Was it ever here? Was it here and taken by another group? Does Melkerech have it? Is he already a lich, does he want to be a lich, is there no lich itch to skritch? So many questions.
Upon return to Arabel, they are tasked with caravan guarding and spend several weeks guiding the caravan across the lands until it is handed off to a Sembian trading coster for protection. There are stories of a red dragon raiding caravans out here so the group is eager for contact. Once the caravan has moved on they stay camped in the hills for weeks, hoping to catch sight of the beast. Finally a sighting is made and they spend another week or two trying to triangulate its potential lair.
When the dragon is spotted, it is entering a hole barely large enough for a crow. It can shapechange? Consternation and investigation. Plans are hatched and debated. The tunnel is explored and a cavern lies beyond with a series of rune carved standing stones arranged in a rough circle. No hint of treasure mounds. This saddens the party. More debating and planning. Eventually they try to seal the opening and trap the creature and slay it. It turns out to be harder than expected as the dragon is not a dragon at all but some sort of demon/extraplanar being – a three headed, bat winged menace. It doesn’t hang about to let itself be slain, so now the group ponders what to do. Should they enter the caverns and try to destroy the runestones?
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