Once upon a time, a group of adventurers were trudging through the chilly tundra in search of their friends who had recently left with a death wish. You see, these friends had hopes to use clever strategy, charming words, and optimistic determination to convince a nearby white dragon to part with a very rare treasure, the sort of treasure that might one day soon save the world from an encroaching evil! These two friends were powerful (both accomplished mages in their own right), stubborn (they had insisted upon traveling alone, even after the adventurers purged some compromising tattoos), and were almost certainly going to be devoured by the dragon immediately (assuming the ice giants they would pass along the way didn’t kill them first).
These adventurers were making excellent time, though as their path took them higher into the mountains, they found the snow getting deeper and the wind picking up steam. In fact, it wasn’t long before their progress had slowed to a crawl as the mighty winds buffeted them back a step for every two they took.
When the weather grew even worse, almost unnaturally so, the heroes decided to make camp near a rock face. As they hunkered down for the evening, the archer couldn’t help but notice a clearing not 100 feet away that felt… unnatural. It took a moment to deduce what made it feel so unnatural and then it hit him — there was no snow on this clearing! Something, or someone, had displaced the snow around the spot. Perhaps they were there even now, hidden!
Sure enough, as the dawn crept over the mountains, the heroes watched as two figures emerged from the clearing. These were the friends they were looking for! They followed stealthily, sneaking past several menacing frost giants, and approached the duo as they entered a monstrous cave opening, a cave opening that must be the dragon’s lair! The dim light made it easier to sneak behind the pair. In the past, these two denied any offer of help and could get skittish if discovered. Thankfully, the adventurers had not been seen this whole journey.
“Are you guys going to catch up? We’ve been watching you lag behind this whole journey,” said Karl.
Awkwardly the Boss stepped out of the shadows and looked at his friends. “You knew we were following you?”
Karl briefly put his hand on a nearby wall to retain his balance, as he had just rolled his eyes so hard that he had a sudden dizzy spell. “Did we notice the troop of 7 people, among them a turtle and a man made of metal, follow us for the last 2 days? Yes, it was noticed.”
“Still,” he continued, “it’s possible that convincing this dragon could be harder then we thought. I… I suppose we could use a hand.”
With all in agreement, the group once again began their trek deep into the cave. The walls of the path narrowed with every step and just when they were starting to become concerned that there wouldn’t be enough room (and shortly after a rude encounter with some aggressive white sludge that wanted to take everyone’s clothes off), the path opened up into a massive space.
Everything about the room was massive! From the stalactites and stalagmites that jutted around them, from the grand opening in the ceiling, to the humongous dragon that stood watching the adventurers as they entered his lair.
“I’m flattered you kept yourselves alive on your journey just so that I would have the pleasure of destroying you,” the dragon rumbled as they entered.
This dragon was big. Really big. You wouldn’t believe how vastly hugely mindbogglingly big it was. I mean, you might think an elephant or a house was big but those were just peanuts compared to this monster.
Slowly the others pushed The Bard to the front of the group. If anyone could charm this beast, it would be him. The Bard was in no hurry and slowly shuffled toward the mighty dragon. As he crossed the lair he was mildly aware that the dragon kept a massive collection of treasure, though it was currently all frozen in piles littered around the room. As he drew closer, The Bard could nearly feel the evil seeping off the massive lizard. Diplomacy could not possibly work. How could it? He could hold his own against a thousand men, but this was too much, even for The Bard.
Why, it would probably take the combined might of the nearby academy, the finest wizards in the land, to pacify this beast if it came to it. Yes… the combined might of the school… A school that was far away… Suddenly, he knew what needed to be done!
And then The Bard did what he did best.
He told a story.
“Mighty White Dragon!” The Bard yelled with all the courage he could muster. “We are travelers seeking out the great powers of the world. After all, those who are as weak as us must always serve those who have the strength to change the world. We thought we discovered ultimate power at the nearby Academy, but over the months we have found that the crafty wizards are not powerful, but small and meek. In fact, in their fear they seek to destroy the TRUE power in this land, you, great dragon! We couldn’t stand by as they used their treachery to usurp your thrown so we have come to warn you of their sinister machinations!”
The dragon’s eyes narrowed and he did something he had not done for a hundred years… he paused.
With a slow grumble the dragon answered, “I will think on this.”
With a low bow The Bard replied, “Of course, great one. Delivering this message to you was our only goal,” and with a twirl began to walk out of the cave. With his back turned, The Bard allowed himself a small smile. This would be perfect, he thought. Without a doubt the dragon’s pride would get the best of him and sooner than later they would witness him leaving the cave in search of the Academy. Sure, The Bard would have to send a telepathic message to the school, warning them of the impending attack, and with any luck the dragon would face the full might of a prepared school with a home advantage. In the meantime, the heroes would have plenty of time to search the cavern and possibly find the rare treasure they sought!
The Bard was so proud of himself and his cunning plan that he did not noticed the open mouths of his companions who had just witnessed their hero sell out the school that had been so kind to them these last months. Outraged, the Boss drew his dagger.
“Enough of this. You will give us the treasure we seek, NOW!”
The dragon slowly turned his gaze to the Boss. A clawed hand reached behind an exposed scale and pulled out a deck of cards. “Is this what you want? If you want it, come and take it.”
“I won’t play your game. This ends here!” shouted the Boss, throwing the dagger at the dragon.
<Plink> said the dagger, bouncing off the dragon’s hide.
“Hmm,” said the dragon, looking at his newest scratch. “Yeah… I’m going to kill all of you now.”
In a flash, a frosty beam erupted from the dragon’s mouth and engulfed the room in a chilly blast. The party sprang into action and answered with their own spells and steel. While they were all formidable, the party could not possibly match the raw strength of the great dragon. One by one, wing and claw cleaved through the group until none were left standing. As the light faded from the warlock’s eyes, his last thoughts were of his dearest Alicia. He would have rather things turned out differently, but he would see her soon. If only he had been a little… bit… stronger…
But Alicia would have different plans that day. Slowly the amulet around the warlock’s neck began to shine, the same amulet that the warlock had taken the day Alicia died, and its glow intensified until the light out-shined even the glittering ice of the cave. In a flash the amulet disappeared but in its place stood the heroes, fully healed with their eyes shining with renewed strength and conviction.
The dragon, however, remained just as weary after its long fight. With ragged breath, the dragon sneered at the group. “What a lovely trick you have. But I doubt you can do the same thing twice. We’ll certainly find out when we meet again… soon.”
And with a rush of air the dragon’s wings unfurled and he propelled himself out of the hole in the ceiling and into the open sky.
The heroes had not been hit with a new ice attack, yet they remained frozen all the same. The dragon had fled, but should they pursue? Had he taken their prize with him? There was still treasure aplenty in this room. Was it worth taking the time to rescue it from the icy prisons that held it? And when would they meet the dragon again? It may have been evil, but it was also right. The divine gods may have given the heroes the gift of luck this day, but their luck was running out…
Countdown to the end of the world: ~12 days