Age of Ice and Blood: A Pathfinder System Heroic Fantasy Quest

Eighteenth Day of Ashinu-ezna (Ashinu Ascendant) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)

"A dragon..." The word tastes strange upon your lips, the stuff of legend and fanciful tale now brought to fearsome light, but then what has your life been of late if not a tale painted upon the canvas of the world. "Pretend we know nothing of such beasts and tell us what you know of them," you ask turning to the three upon the lonely shore most likely to know anything of it.

Inge shakes her head, frustrated, and maybe a little scared, though she tries not to show it. "I don't know anything of beasts that live in the ground or under the trees, only the ones that in the sea."

"They are an old thing, not of this world, long do they sleep," Tender says, the feathers of her mask rustling. "Some tales tell that the Fathers of Dragons have lived through the Breaking of the old world and the making of the new, eldest of the old whose beginnings even even the spirits of the land do not know. to look upon a dragon is to know fear, not just of the flesh but of the heart for they are are masters of much that the world forgo. It is said that dragon ever sleep in the depths of the world and it is said that they never sleep, this I know to be true."

"Which..." Zaia asks confused, but Esha cuts him off.

"Both, a dragon is a creature of magic made flesh, it runs though their veins as blood runs through ours and without it they would surely die, it keeps them aloft against the pull of the earth and it is breath of ruin upon their tongues, it is the sharpness of fang and claw beyond what any mortal craft can forge, but mistake them not for beasts for their are masters at weaving their will into the tapestry of the world. As they grow in might with the long passage of ages so grows their will and mastery over the world, though sleep comes for them soft and inexorable, a mercy without which the world of men could not be. This one speaks in dreams the otter-kin said." She shakes her head as though in denial of some fear. "Pray to your gods that it is not an ancient else neither flight nor battle shall save us."

Shocked silence falls over all of you, none had heard Esha ask for prayer, much less in such a tone. "The beast is sleeping, surely it can be slain ere it wakes," you say. It would not be the first time you have ended a murderer thus and you are not so proud as to think yourself the equal of Saint George.

Esha does not look at you, instead she turns to Silver and asks. "How large was it."

"Between the size of a man and that of a horse, not counting the tail. It looked..." he trails off, before gathering his courage. "It looked fearsome as these tales make it out to be, but all the more reason to face it if we can, for what hope would the folk of Willowbrook have against it."

"This seems rather a lot of trouble to go through for a few baskets of fish," Antonio begins, looking to Esha for support, but the sorceress does not answer at once her gaze lost to some distant sight only to her knows.

When she does speak it is to surprise all of you. "I think we might be able to defeat this thing, if we fight with cunning as much as courage, it is sleeping and knows us not while we are abroad and awake and know its kindred Ilathioka, the forest-lord, its breath is as arrows from the heavens and all born of leaf and bough recognizes its mastery. Ware its voice for it can turn brother against brother."

Antonio closes his eyes as a man in pain. "I ask again why should we do battle with this terror of the ancient world over baskets of fish?"

"Didn't you listen to the story?" Inge asks, more sharply than you have ever heard her speak. "The Great Ones want to be tyrants over us all. How would you like it if you returned to these waters and a their shadow fell over you deck demanding half your treasure for its hoard or a third of your crew to feed its hunger?"

Though he had already opened his to argue, no doubt most eloquently you can pinpoint precisely the word at which he closes it. "You said the dragon came from the hill where the otters dwell. Would they be willing you think to let us examine the chamber where it slept under stone?"

What do you counsel should be done next?

[] Set out at once to face the beast
-[] Write in plan

[] Return to Willowbrook and try to convince the otters to lead you to the dragon's chamber

[] Sail on, perhaps you shall find allies and weapons fit to help slay such a foe in the north

[] Write in

OOC: Both Inge and Tender rolled poorly for the dragon lore but Esha crit so you get an actual sheet on the type of dragon it is, though not the exact age category since she is working off second hand information.