Expedition 152: Meet the Dao

### Summary:

Ranag and Kel'soveen go to the Stonegate Mountains to treat with the Dao Kel had contacted (Zutimir the Magnificent), but he is megalomaniacal and negotiations break down, so we end up destroying him with the aid of Colonel Roundhouse.

## Expedition 152: Meet the Dao

### Detailed Description:

We begin by asking Kel's new familiar what it wants to be called - it says "the one who serves Kel'soveen," so we immediately shorten it to TOWSK. We travel through the Mageline with the Sparksouled trader Carter, and learn a little bit more about the dao, but not much we didn't know already. The journey is uneventful until we start the trek up into the Stonegate Mountains. This region is one we have never previously entered, and the mountains are covered in jagged teeth of rock, craggy spires, moss clinging to stone, and are quite difficult to traverse.

We don't run into any enemies, but we do stumble upon a hole, stretching beyond view down into the ground. Gravity warps dangerously around it, and Ranag falls in. They use broadwings to make it to the edge, but flight is only half as effective as normal due to the increased gravity. With a great deal of straining, they manage to climb back out against the pull, and Kel realizes that this is likely the gate to the Plane of Earth.

Continuing on, we reach the fortress of Zutimir the Magnificent. Traps litter the approaches, but the battlements are only partially constructed. In their full form, they would make the valley they protect safe against most conceivable threats, even if the planes were to collapse. Kel calls out to Zutimir and begins to bargain with them - they both go inside the lair, leaving Ranag on watch outside. Kel had acquired two hearts of earth, which Dao especially prize, with which to gain Zutimir's favor. However, Kel stored the hearts in his iron flask, and when Zutimir sees it, he immediately wants it far more than the hearts of earth. The situation was not ideal for a conflict, so Kel gave it up in exchange for the position of Herald in Zutimir's organization. Zutimir stores the flask inside several feet of rock, and first tasks Kel with winning over Ranag, who he brings into the hall. After more discussion, he leaves to attend to other tasks, and Ranag and Kel agree to betray Zutimir rather than leave them with the flask and the hearts. Ranag asks the Dao to show them the fortifications so they can be sure their people would be safe under Zutimir's rule, so the Dao takes them up to the peak of the mountain.

Kel uses passwall from the Nexus key to excavate the flask, then dimension doors up to above the peak. We attack Zutimir, who rages against us and begins to fly upwards. He protects himself with armor of stone, but Ranag still gets off some solid hits while they are in range. Zutimir continues to rise, resists the flask, and manages to take it away from Kel. Ranag is able to use the weakened Broadwings to take some more attacks, and Kel throws in a barrage of eldritch blasts. Zutimir continues to rise, and the increased gravity makes them more and more difficult to reach. In desperation, Ranag dimension doors up to him with the Nexus Key, then breaks the silver coin from Colonel Roundhouse across his face.

Colonel Roundhouse appears and immediately grapples Zutimir, hanging on in midair. Zutimir breaks free momentarily, but Roundhouse misty steps back, and continues to plunge a dagger into the dao. Ranag manages to land a long range dagger, and Kel continues to blast, stripping away the Dao's armor and health. Roundhouse finishes the job and is blasted away in an explosion of stone, only shouting out a cheer of victory before landing and being whisked back to his plane.

We investigate the remains of Zutimir's hall, finding some significant valuables and rescuing an enslaved sparksouled, before returning to claim the bounty on Zutimir.