The Copper Piece Gang

D&D Session Summary

Having survived the defenses of the ancient archive beneath Kalton Manor, the party faced an even greater threat. The celestial constructs had abandoned their attack, the surviving archive guardians had disappeared, and the sound of something immense moving through the underground complex announced the arrival of Shadowmire.

The black dragon had spent centuries guarding the ruins and preventing anyone from reaching the secrets buried beneath them. Now the companions had entered the archive, uncovered fragments of forbidden history, and approached the door Shadowmire had tried to keep sealed.

The party entered the confrontation without Shadra, leaving them one companion short. Her absence was especially important because repeated Memory Rends during the previous battle had stripped the archive’s revelations from the others. Shadra remained the only member of the group who still remembered everything the archive had shown them.

Before Shadowmire reached the chamber, the companions managed to complete a long rest. The delay allowed them to recover their abilities, but it did not remove the danger waiting for them. Shadowmire had been adapted specifically to withstand the party’s usual methods of controlling powerful enemies. Dazing or stunning him would not neutralize him as completely as they might expect, and some conditions could trigger additional attacks.

The battle began with Shadowmire moving into the chamber and releasing a torrent of acid over Zarnak and Krovuur. The attack inflicted immediate damage, left corrosive acid burning on its targets, and weakened their armor. The companions had acquired potions of acid resistance specifically for this encounter, but those who had not yet acted had not had an opportunity to drink them.

Zarnak answered by closing with the dragon and committing heavily to the opening attack. His Rimebite Mace and other abilities slowed and rattled Shadowmire, left him vulnerable to further attacks, and inflicted ongoing damage. The assault caused substantial harm, but it also revealed the scale of the challenge. Even a powerful combination of attacks represented only a small portion of the dragon’s endurance.

Rae drank his acid-resistance potion, moved into position, and placed his Aegis of Shielding upon Shadowmire. The mark allowed Rae to interfere whenever the dragon attacked one of his companions, either reducing the damage or punishing Shadowmire for ignoring him.

The remaining companions added curses, psychic effects, radiant attacks, and other penalties. Their combined efforts repeatedly lowered Shadowmire’s accuracy and limited his movement. The dragon nevertheless remained extremely difficult to injure. His defenses were formidable, and the magical darkness surrounding him made conventional attacks even less reliable.

Shadowmire then spoke directly to the party:

“Opening the door will lead to death. The truth will destroy us all. So know this truth: it must end now.”

He followed the warning by surrounding himself and the nearby companions with a supernatural Cloud of Darkness. The darkness completely blocked the party’s sight while allowing Shadowmire to continue seeing normally. Those trapped within it could not effectively flank him, make opportunity attacks, or reliably target him with ordinary melee and ranged powers.

The party adapted by using attacks that did not require them to see a specific target. Close bursts, area effects, and powers directed through Shadowmire’s mark allowed them to continue fighting despite the darkness. A field of glimmering light was also established across part of the battlefield. In addition to damaging Shadowmire, the light created a zone through which the companions could later teleport creatures.

Shadowmire used the darkness to reposition himself without drawing attacks. He emerged beside one of the companions and unleashed a series of claw and bite attacks. His physical attacks proved more dangerous than his acid once the party’s resistance potions were active. One companion was knocked unconscious, revived with a potion, and then brought down again as the battle continued.

The situation worsened when Shadowmire’s smaller humanoid attendant joined the encounter. The same general type of creature had previously searched the cellar beneath Kalton Manor using strange clicking sounds. This one appeared upon the elevated stonework overlooking the chamber and attacked from above with powerful Death Bolts.

The attendant’s attacks combined force and necrotic energy. They also dazed their targets, leaving them with fewer actions and making escape more difficult. It repeatedly concentrated its attacks upon an already wounded companion, knocking him unconscious several times over the course of the battle. Healing potions, defensive powers, temporary vitality, and the expenditure of additional resources kept him alive.

Although the party continued inflicting damage, Shadowmire’s endurance remained overwhelming. The companions landed critical hits, triggered weapon powers, exploited combat advantage, and forced the dragon to suffer additional damage whenever he attacked. Rae’s mark prevented or reduced several attacks against the others, while retaliatory magic punished Shadowmire whenever he ignored it.

Even these successes were not enough. After dealing hundreds of points of damage, the party realized that Shadowmire was still not bloodied. Defeating him would require surviving many more rounds against both the dragon and his attendant, something their diminishing healing surges and expended powers were unlikely to allow.

The acid-resistance potions nevertheless proved essential. Once everyone had consumed one, Shadowmire’s breath weapon became far less threatening. The companions still suffered the accompanying armor penalties, but much of the corrosive harm was absorbed. Shadowmire’s claws, bites, darkness, and the attendant’s Death Bolts remained serious threats.

Recognizing that they could not win a prolonged fight, the companions began discussing retreat. Zarnak used his ability to burrow into the earth and create an escape tunnel. He called for the others to follow him beneath the battlefield.

Rae used teleportation to enter the tunnel without exposing himself to Shadowmire’s reach. The others followed, crawling and burrowing deeper while attempting to place turns in the tunnel between themselves and the entrance. Their route descended and changed direction, eventually breaking line of sight with the chamber above.

Shadowmire immediately attempted to dig after them. His immense size prevented him from entering the narrow passage, but his claws could still reach several feet into the earth. He attacked the companions nearest the entrance while tearing at the ground like a predator digging after trapped prey.

The smaller attendant was better suited to the pursuit. It moved to the tunnel entrance and continued firing Death Bolts down the passage, targeting the last companion in the line. One of these attacks nearly knocked its target unconscious again. The companion survived with only a single hit point after the party spent additional resources to reduce the damage.

Rae shifted his mark from Shadowmire to the pursuing attendant. This gave the creature a reason to hesitate before attacking the others, but it did not prevent it from following the party into the tunnel.

As the companions continued moving, they exploited the glimmering teleportation zone that remained active in the chamber. The initial plan was to teleport the smaller creature into the air and then place Shadowmire above it so that both enemies would fall. The attendant resisted the first attempt, forcing the party to modify the plan.

The creature was instead teleported horizontally onto the ground. Shadowmire was then teleported approximately twenty-five feet into the air directly above it.

The dragon crashed down onto his own attendant.

The fall injured both enemies and left them momentarily disoriented. More importantly, it disrupted the pursuit long enough for the companions to move beyond the reach of both Shadowmire and the Death Bolts. By the time the dragon and his servant recovered and returned to the tunnel, the party had traveled too deeply into the earth to be targeted.

The companions stopped long enough to bind their wounds and take a short rest. During that pause, they reconsidered Shadowmire’s behavior and the warning he had delivered.

Their insight into the encounter revealed that Shadowmire had not truly been trying to kill them.

The dragon had certainly been willing to injure them severely, and several companions had come dangerously close to death, but his apparent objective was to defeat and incapacitate the party rather than destroy them. Had he succeeded, he likely would have dragged them from the underground complex, buried the entrance, and hoped they finally understood the warning.

This changed the meaning of the confrontation. Shadowmire was not simply an evil dragon protecting territory or treasure. He believed he was preventing the party from opening the sealed door and releasing—or learning—something that could endanger the entire world.

His words also echoed the earlier evidence surrounding Kalton Manor. Shadowmire had attacked the Kaltons and their settlement after they began exploring the ancient complex. His warning carved upon the first sealed entrance stated that he had come to stop them and remained because of what they had found. His actions across the centuries consistently suggested that he considered the buried secret more dangerous than the people attempting to reach it.

The party had now forced its way through the archive and moved closer to the forbidden door. From Shadowmire’s perspective, they were repeating the Kaltons’ mistake.

The companions nevertheless had not abandoned their objective. Their escape route remained within the underground complex, and they discussed whether Zarnak’s burrowing could eventually carry them around Shadowmire and toward the sealed door. The unusual conditions that allowed movement through the surrounding earth might not last indefinitely, making the timing and route of their next attempt important.

The session ended with the party alive and temporarily beyond pursuit. Shadowmire and his attendant remained behind them, guarding the route they had taken. The forbidden door was still somewhere ahead, along with the truth Shadowmire believed could destroy them all.

The companions also reached level 16.

Their next decision will determine whether they heed the warning of a dragon who deliberately spared them—or continue toward the door and uncover the truth he has guarded for centuries.

Quick Recap

• The August 28 session resumed inside the ancient complex beneath Kalton Manor.
• The archive’s defenders had withdrawn, and Shadowmire entered the chamber to confront the party.
• Shadra was absent, leaving the party one companion short.
• Shadra remained the only party member who retained the full knowledge revealed by the archive.
• The party completed a long rest before the confrontation.
• Shadowmire opened the battle with an acid breath attack against Zarnak and Krovuur.
• Zarnak used his Rimebite Mace and other abilities to slow, rattle, and heavily damage the dragon.
• Rae marked Shadowmire with his Aegis of Shielding, allowing him to reduce or punish attacks against his companions.
• Shadowmire warned, “Opening the door will lead to death. The truth will destroy us all. So know this truth: it must end now.”
• Shadowmire created a supernatural Cloud of Darkness that blinded the nearby companions while allowing him to see normally.
• The party continued attacking through close bursts, area effects, curses, radiant magic, forced movement, and attacks that did not require sight.
• A glimmering zone of light was created that allowed creatures within it to be teleported.
• Shadowmire’s smaller humanoid attendant joined the encounter from the elevated arches.
• The attendant repeatedly used force-and-necrotic Death Bolts that damaged and dazed their targets.
• One companion was knocked unconscious and revived several times during the fight.
• The party’s acid-resistance potions greatly reduced the effectiveness of Shadowmire’s breath weapon.
• Shadowmire’s physical attacks and the attendant’s Death Bolts remained extremely dangerous.
• Even after the party inflicted hundreds of points of damage, Shadowmire was not yet bloodied.
• The companions concluded that they could not survive a prolonged battle against both enemies.
• Zarnak burrowed into the earth and created an escape tunnel.
• The party followed him underground while Shadowmire clawed at the tunnel entrance.
• The smaller attendant pursued them and continued firing Death Bolts down the passage.
• One companion survived a Death Bolt with only a single hit point after additional resources were spent to reduce the damage.
• Rae transferred his mark from Shadowmire to the pursuing attendant.
• The party used the remaining teleportation zone to reposition the attendant and teleport Shadowmire approximately twenty-five feet into the air above it.
• Shadowmire fell onto his own attendant, damaging and disorienting both enemies.
• The maneuver gave the party enough time to escape beyond the reach of the dragon and the Death Bolts.
• During a short rest, the companions realized that Shadowmire had not truly been trying to kill them.
• Shadowmire apparently intended to incapacitate the party, remove them from the complex, and bury the entrance.
• His actions confirmed that he sees himself as a guardian preventing anyone from opening the sealed door.
• Shadowmire believes the truth beyond the door could cause a catastrophe.
• The party remained within the underground tunnels and had not abandoned its attempt to reach the door.
• The session ended with Shadowmire and his attendant behind them and the forbidden secret still ahead.
• The party advanced to level 16.