Arkrhyst

“Arkrhyst”
Rise of the Runelords episode
Episode no.	Episode 84
Date	2009
Game Master	Abbe
Characters	Honeypot Nathaniel Nell
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "The Riddle" "The Gate to Runeforge"
Rise of the Runelords chapter list

In this chapter the heroes fight a big white dragon.

Arkrhyst

The white dragon.

The alarm still sounded and feeling a little anxious I looked around and noted some kind of smoke or mist coming out of the cave that was the mouth of the man-like mountain. In that mist I caught a glimpse of a big monster flying out of the cave. I wasn't sure, but I still told the others that a dragon was on the way. Honeypot asked if I was sure and if I saw what kind of dragon it was. I guessed it was the big kind that eat people. Nathaniel suggested it would likely be a white dragon. Honeypot hurriedly started a ritual for protection from cold. I hid among the boulders just outside the circle and even Honeypot ducked lower while continuing her ritual as the dragon came closer.

It turned out to be a big white dragon. It came flying down towards us but as it closed in on the stone circle it slowed. Flapping its wings, it said something in a strange language with a booming, powerful voice. Nathaniel later told me it was draconic and that it said that it would eat the knight, looking at Nathaniel. He answered it thusly;
"The only thing you will eat is cold steel."
It roared and dove down towards us. As soon as Honeypot had finished her ritual, I threw my dagger, hitting it in the belly. It's thick hide lessened the effect. It could take many hits like that before having to worry. I slipped away between a few bigger boulders and stealthily made my way, away from the others to try to make it harder for it to hit us all with its breath, or including me without it even knowing it. I had heard that the breath of a dragon was very dangerous. The dragon flew straight at us roaring, making us all shiver with fear. It hit Nathaniel with magic covering him with ice.

As it passed over us Honeypot sprouted wings and flew up after it, striking one of its wings. It tumbled to the ground. I attacked it with a thrown dagger again, being careful to move around but keeping hidden from its view. Poor Nathaniel was still ice cubed. Honeypot flew down to him and helped. They were on opposite sides and while it tried to keep them both in sight, I caught it unaware. My dagger hurt it bad, but dragons don't die easily. Another attack hit as well and I hid carefully behind a rock as I knew it would want to get even. But Nathaniel, finally free from the ice, hacked at the dragon as in a frenzy. Strike after strike hit the dragon who suffered heavily. It focused fully on him with its attacks. Honeypot took advantage of the distraction and used dominating magic on it. She told us it was under her control, at least until we hit it, but it was an awful beast and deserved to die, so we continued the battle. I threw my dagger again and the dragon was getting weaker, bleeding from many wounds, as did Nathaniel. Honeypot used her control over the dragon to talk to it in its old tongue, while we struck it again and again. Finally it broke her magic and tried to fly away. Once more Honeypot flew after it and struck a wing felling it to the ground.

Leaping across stones and boulders I darted across the battlefield to stab it where it lay. Nathaniel, still riding Shadowmist, rode out to the middle of the stone circle and reared his big, black horse. Then he charged the dragon from the other side. It was getting desperate and breathed cold ice at him and clawed him. He was wounded, but he had had worse. Still Honeypot cheered him up. With snarling ferocity I attacked, my dagger biting deep into the dragons flesh filling its heart with doubt. It flapped its wings weakly as it fell over, dying. I jumped up on its neck and drove my dagger in to the hilt. A thundering silence spread over the landscape. The dragon was dead.

We looked at each others and I was surprised at how well we had done in the fight. Only Nathaniel had been wounded and not much. Turning to the dead dragon I cut out the biggest tooth in its mouth to keep as a trophy. As I calmed down after the fight I realized that the night was upon us so we prepared a campsite. Honeypot cast a spell that made houses of snow that was hard to spot from the outside. I wondered how you could keep warm in a house made out of cold snow, but Nathaniel reassured me that it would work. I ate a late supper, that I had in my bag of holding, warming it on a fire also made by Honeypot's magic. Nathaniel was working on the dragon most of the evening. When I was about to fall asleep he came in with a big bloody meaty thing in his hands. He told me to eat it. I was very skeptical, but thought maybe I should try it before telling if its good or bad. It was bad. He told me it was the dragons heart and that the slayers of a dragon should eat its heart. It would grant you magical powers. I didn't feel any different and I don't think Nathaniel or Honeypot did either as they too tasted it. I made my dagger create a blanket with golden brocade. It worked very well. I was warm and cozy all night.