Session 7: The Ancient Dragon

Before the High Council

Harlix summoned us to a large round room filled with members of The Knock and the High Council of the Emerald Enclave. We were given supplies—silvered arrows and rations—before being introduced to Rook Targrave, a stern member of the High Council.

His words were blunt:

“You aren’t here because you defeated some wayward heretic. What you witnessed in the Astralglades is a force greater than anything you could imagine—an ancient being, a builder of worlds, being summoned to rip this world apart.

Those robed men are the Slanted Circle. What the slaves construct is the Throat of Aru’xat—a resonance engine designed to awaken a slumbering primordial beast. Aru’xat the Verdant Maw, the Feeder of Forests, a serpentine entity sealed during the Dawn Wars when the gods first planted life. It once devoured entire worlds.

The Circle attempts to align ley lines to wake it. You must find the ancient beings who can help us anchor those ley lines. Most notably: Nythraxil, a rose quartz dragon banished to Stonehell Isle.”

Rook pulled Rudiger aside afterward, sensing the young wizard’s internal conflict. He handed him a scroll of Lightning Resistance: “The storm within us can manifest out if we are not careful.”

Journey to Stonehell

We traveled through the Astralglades toward Muck Bay, where Captain Tallow awaited with his ship, the Siren’s Song. Along the way:

• A Frost Elemental emerged from ley-scarred flowers, warning that the world’s balance was shifting. It gave us an amulet teaching the Frost Fingers spell.
• We were ambushed by men bearing Slanted Circle markings.

The Kraken Attack

At sea, pirates attacked from the fog. But mid-battle, a kraken erupted from the depths, grabbing pirates and smashing ships. The pirate vessel’s explosives detonated, severing a tentacle and dealing massive damage.

Through it all, a mage on the pirate ship stared at Captain Tallow before diving into the water and vanishing.

Tallow revealed he was a druid of Eberron and had banished the kraken—but the mage had escaped on his own. “That mage is not far behind. I sensed his confusion about Stonehell’s location. The island is hidden by enchanted mist.”

Nythraxil’s Lair

Tallow’s ritual parted the mist, revealing Stonehell Isle’s massive stone spires. We fought through giant vultures to reach the lair at the summit.

Before meeting the dragon, we were required to release memories into crystal pools—the dragon “sees” mortals through their memories.

Nythraxil lay on his side—a hulking mass of red, pink, and white quartz. So ancient his body had fused to the stone itself.

“Aru’xat… a name I hoped would stay buried. You require the ley stone? Like my body, it too has fused to the quartz. The ley stone will only anchor the ley lines in the Astralglades. The Slanted Circle will seek other anchors. The Jundites of Eberron will have the key of Agmon. Seek the word of Ildrar, a cleric of the ancient race of Orondin.”

The Mage Returns

A massive blast shattered stone above the dragon. The mage from the shipwreck had found us.

Nythraxil thrashed in startled rage, breathing fire. The mage’s ice blast missed the dragon but struck a stone pillar above—it froze and fell, severing Nythraxil’s wing.

With his last breath, the ancient dragon unleashed fire at the mage, sending him tumbling down the mountain. Then Nythraxil fell silent forever.

Rudiger secured the ley stone. We defeated the mage and returned to Captain Tallow.

Return to Astgrove

Back in Astgrove, we reluctantly handed the ley stone to Rook and the Enclave. We told him what Nythraxil had said about Eberron.

Rook nodded gravely. Our next journey would take us to another plane entirely.

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Nythraxil is dead. The Circle mage escaped once, but we have the ley stone. Now we must travel to Eberron—a different plane of existence—to find the next anchor.

Next Session: Journey to Sharn, the City of Towers…