The party awakens in a sprawling cavern beneath Stonegarden, a place of rumbling sounds and acrid smells.
A massive, circular stone grill dominates the chamber, with a fountain of glistening metal threads sprouting from its center. This is the lair of the dragon Scarne. The dwelvers, Rangmar and Arvia, explain that their people have been evacuated for safety and that the dragon, though intelligent, is contained for now.
But the real debate has just begun: What should be done with Scarne? The party is unified on how to proceed and determined to convince the dwelvers that releasing Scarne would be a stupendously poor decision.
Rudever, speaking for many, asserts his belief that the dragon should remain confined to prevent a potential genocide against the dwarves. Lucia, Zarah, and Torben all agree. The dragon is too dangerous to be set free.
After much debate, hemming, and hawing, the dwelvers agree to help the party make the cage as they had agreed to at the start of the quest.
While most of the party assists with the confinement preparations, Zarah and Grimnir cautiously approach the grate. Scarne, with a voice of honeyed promises and sinister whispers, begins to speak. She tries to manipulate Zarah, but finds no purchase.
With Grimnir, however, she is more successful. She plants seeds of doubt, making him question the dwelvers’ true intentions and the fate of the dwarves who have entered the mountain. His motivation for the quest falters, leaving him with a reckless resolve to simply face the dragon, regardless of the outcome if she is loosed upon the Ravenlands..
As the work continues, Torben goes to observe the dragon, but refuses to speak with her. At the same time, Princess Arvia of Crombe slips away. Rudever, in a moment of clarity, uses his gift for visions to see the past — he witnesses Scarne’s capture and Arvia’s disappearance, realizing that the legend of Scarnesbane is a lie. The Crombe dwarves didn’t kill the dragon and barely even managed to capture here. It truly is Scarne, the mother of dragons, caged in the pit mere meters from where he stands.
As the others work, Rudever goes to search for Arvia. Grimnir uses the opportunity to press the dwelvers for more details about the cage, while Torben, ever vigilant, sharpens his sword and keeps a watchful eye on their companions.
Meanwhile, Lucia, the Raven Sister, approaches Scarne. The dragon attempts to corrupt her, tempting her with promises of power and the chance to change the world for the better, even plainly saying that she could protect the Raven Sisters and render terrible judgement on their enemies. Though tempted, Lucia resists, declaring, “I’m sorry, I don’t trust you.” The encounter leaves her shaken at choosing the safety of the world over the almost assured deaths of many of her sisters.
Rudever, in his search for Arvia, stumbles upon the fabled Great Helm of Kerg of Belderan. After the confinement is completed, the dwelvers usher the party to the Silver Spire, an experimental lift. Zarah questions Arvia’s absence, and the group shares their growing concerns. Rudever, ever the tinkerer, figures out how the giant fist mechanism launches the elevator. They decide to go back and find Arvia first.
After resupplying with provisions from the dwelvers’ sleds, they make camp. A palpable tension hangs in the air between Lucia and Torben. Lucia, wary after her encounter with Scarne, suspects Torben may know her secret. Torben, in turn, tries to determine if she is a Raven Sister, pointedly asking her about her conversation with the dragon. Lucia, however, remains elusive, frustrating Torben and causing him to fumble with his camp chores.
While the knight and the druid make camp, the combined efforts of Zarah, Grimnir, and Rudever lead them to a distraught Arvia. She confesses her crisis of faith and her connection to Scarne. Rudever, using his vision of the past, gives a powerful retelling of the dragon’s defeat, healing Arvia’s mind and convincing her to return. Zarah adds, “It wouldn’t be the first time a legend has been embellished,” reinforcing Rudever’s story. With Arvia back, the party finally decides to use the Silver Spire the next day.
They enter the small chamber and buckle in. The giant metal fist drops with tremendous force, sending them shooting upwards with incredible speed. But the lift gets stuck. A jarring noise fills the chamber, and a searing hot mercury rushes in, burning most of the party. The mountain begins to quake, and they realize they must climb to the surface on rungs set into the wall of the shaft.
Lucia, broken and burned from the ordeal, slips. Torben, without hesitation, rushes down with a rope and pulls her to safety. As he lifts her, he looks at her with a wry nod and says, “Come along, sister.” Lucia, with a salty look from her one good eye, now knows her secret is no longer safe.
JesseFolk.com 