It was the 10th anniversary of our starting the Vale campaign and it was a momentous moment. Aeli had solved the riddle of the Three Keys and brought peace between the Thri-Kreen, Yuan-Ti and Lizardfolk tribes. With the keys joined together, a black portal opened, beckoning with a crackling hum and strange aura…
- Several followers were not willing to stay back, instead arguing that they were more safe with Aeli than left behind. She brought them with.
- Once through the portal, Aeli and company found themselves in a cavern of magical darkness, with only a voice and gleaming eyes to greet them.
- After identifying herself as an ancestor of Kellus Therran, the voice, calling itself the Watcher, uttered a word of power and light sprang up, revealing that they were in the presence of an ancient gold dragon!
- The Watcher revealed that it had been summoned by Kellus Therran through a dragon-stone and the two were “bonded.” It had waited here for the many centuries at Kellus’ command.
- It explained that the dragon stones are artifacts that summon dragons from their world (“elsewhere”) to the world of the Vale. These dragons needed a mortal to “bond” with to cross over, forming a deep connection that joined them mentally and emotionally to each other.
- The Watcher brought over a baby gold dragon which bonded with Aeli and it gave the spell to do this into a VERY reluctant Tironell. Having fulfilled its duty, the Watcher fades away, its soul returning to the Dragon World to be born anew.
- Aeli and her posse are now leaving the huge cavern to explore Kellus’s desert tower above.
I had been planning this very encounter for almost seven years! Oddly enough, it was over very quickly, and I was sad that I couldn’t really give word to the emotions that I felt when I was describing the scene, or speaking as the Watcher. I was trying to channel Parthunax from Skyrim for sure!
It’s probably the fact that I could never fully realize what I saw in my head at this meeting. Angie seemed to enjoy it though, and that’s the important part. One thing’s for sure, she’s beside herself in having a baby dragon as a companion! I don’t have a picture of it (yet.)
Now I have to paint up the adolescent dragon so that she can ride it when it gets bigger!
