Episode 41: The Breath of Tiamat Report

General Summary

Gerda/Jenny releases a gentle pulse of moonlight that fully restores the party before she gets god woozy and Mariel steadies her. Then, Spark gets an ident-a-hedron message from Baron Aginnad.

Spark exclaims, 'Can you hear me? You guys got to get out of there! I've been trying to reach Lance, but something ain't right. When you made that avatar, she sent out a call like a beacon, the cult is coming down on your position. I was able to waylay the Will of Malfador, but the Breath of Tiamat is nearby and coming right at you.'

Nia, alarmed, needs a plan to get everyone to safety. Nels suggests taking the non-combatants on the Blackjack, making it invisible, and circling back to the zone. Nia, hearing Sigrid calling out to her patron, decides to take her on the Blackjack as bait for their pursuers.

The crew debates what to do with the prisoners. Link demands to prove himself to his father and comes on the Blackjack. Nia wants a chance to turn the hobgoblin and the werewolf in the future, but worries about their danger in the present. Paz mentions her family's compound nearby where she can hold them temporarily. Spark notes the hobgoblin's trickiness and slaps on the dimensional shackles they have lying around.

With everyone accounted for, the crew grabs onto Sigrid and recalls into the Blackjack. They take off quickly on a direct path to the zone. However, they aren't in the air long when a massive dreadnaught darkens the clouds behind them. The crew observes a militant contingent of dragonfolk aboard and notes a large host taking off toward the Blackjack.

Nia, confused, wonders how the dreadnaught is gaining on them. She calls battle stations, and a firefight ensues with wyverns and draconians appearing. Lance orders the ship to Maximum Power, but when the magic pushes into the engine, it fails.

Spark, realizing something is wrong, zips below deck to investigate. Lance warns of invisible draconians above, and a brief firefight ensues. Despite the crew's efforts, the situation becomes dire. Nia re-prioritizes and orders to take down the pursuing blue dragon.

A massive fireball is spell-cannoned into a huge conflagration, weakening the pursuers, but the blue dragon and its rider persist. Then, something bigger arrives—a huge red dragon. Nia calls down, "Uh, Spark, how's that engine coming?"

Lance, observing two dragons headed for the ship, mentally assaults the smaller one and restrains it with a moon halo. He then heads below deck to help with the sneaky draconian. Meanwhile, Nia urges Spark to fix the engine, but he finds evidence of tampering. Focused on the task, he works furiously.

On deck, the crew battles the red dragon, sustaining injuries. Coyote Rose collapses, leaving the ship unhelmed. The baron urges the crew below deck, and El stands alone against the massive dragon. The dragon strikes a grievous blow, but El endures.

Spark exclaims, "Fixed!" as the Blackjack purrs happily. Nia warns, "Engaging Ludicrous Speed!" The Blackjack's hex engines overmagick, speeding them to safety beyond the reach of both dragon and dreadnaught. Nia develops a powerful ship lust for the Breath of Tiamat, memorizing its details for future teleportation.