Expedition 127: The Coral Spire

## Summary

A group of Compact members travel to the lair of Dai & Kell, a pair of dragons, to rescue a number of captured sparksouled. The succeed but after much internal argument the dragons are spared in exchange for lighting the Flame of Bahamut.

## Details

Today was a trying day. This morning I set out for the Burning Reef accompanied by a number of my companions from the Ironwood Compact. Our goal was to rescue a group of sparksouled captured by a mated pair of dragons. They drakes are relentlessly cruel, after a dreaming spell to one of the hostages, Farseeker, I found that they have the sparksouled chained to a column of coral jutting out of the sea. They were in rough shape, barely holding together and nearly submerged by the tide. With the spring thaw they did not have much time left.

Our group left Port Vrall in the early morning, setting sail on *Tasha's Hideous Daughter*, Fi Falcon's ship. The wake was rough near the port with the sudden emergence of a new volcanic island, the work of the Ashlord on behalf of Valorie Vayer. But Fi is an accomplished sailor and we make it past the choppy waters and ash cloud and north to the reef. Unfortunately the Burning reefs shallow waters and plumes of fire from volcanic vents make further travel by ship inadvisable. Thankfully my contact with Farseeker alerted me to a undersea tunnel leading to the dragons' lair used by Kell to access her lair. Finn excited to use his niche ability to speak with fish is able to get directions to the "do no go in tunnel," which proved to be accurate. With the water being uncomfortably hot and the tunnel filled with unknown hazards we determine it would be best to move quickly. Gonerton mounted his aquatic steed, Painter, and cast Tenser's Floating Disc and we jury-rigged a towing cable to get us through the tunnel quickly. We make it through with only minor issues, namely a wall of volcanic vents that we bypass with a wall of force.

After that we arrive just outside the lair proper Gonerton conjures a water elemental, while a swarm of fish is quickly dispatched before it can interfere. We then entered the lair. We hoped to get the drop on what appeared to be a slumbering blue dragon, but it was a ruse by Kell to lure half the party in for a surprise attack. Early on a few breath weapons from Kell took a toll on our front-line, with Fiona nearly getting knocked out early on, although a well chosen polymorph to a giant octopus allowed them to keep Kell in the water making Dai less effective should he try to attack. Eventually we whittled down Kells's resolve and after an attempt to plead to Tiamat for help Bea knocked the blue dragon unconscious. While the consequences of that action after the battle currently have me clutching my pen with such frustration that I may break it, I cannot deny that avoiding the fury Dai would have unleashed at the loss of his mate, was a strong tactical decision. With one adult dragon incapacitated the battle tilted in our favor, and even with their wyrmlings harrying us from the sky and quippers gnashing at us in the water we were able to exhaust Dai. Gonerton and I disorienting him with mind magics and the rest of our party pressing that advantage. Eventually with Dai on his last legs, I saw my opportunity and unleashed a psychic assault on his mind. His final visions, implanted by me, were the same chains he bound his victims with turning on him, strangling the life out of him, the shock of the vision felled the monster. As tough as the battle was it was after that the days trials truly began.

While I immediately started working to free the sparksouled, the others began working to keep Kell from drowning in her own lair. Fiona and Bea being the most vocal, although many of the others in some agreement. I was dumbfounded. Not 12 hours before I was arguing with these people that we should let the two rot on the seabed rather than attempt to bring them back to Vrall for harvesting, and here they were saving this being who had tortured and killed countless innocents for no reason but the pleasure she gained from the vile acts. That's not even conjecture, she confirmed as much after Fiona resuscitated her. And that's not even where it ends, the party then negotiated with her, he life and her children in exchange for lighting the Torch of Bahamut. Kell even ended up getting them to agree to revive her mate in exchange. I am furious I spent a week pouring over tomes and reaching out to draconic scholars and colleagues to bring justice for the sparksouled. We prepared for a deadly battle and emerged victorious with no losses, and they healed them and let them leave the East. Fiona got them to nominally agree to leave innocents unharmed but I doubt it will last. When word comes of more attacks or abductions by the pair I hope they realize the blood is partly on their hands. It's a small mercy that the hostages were to exhausted and fell into stasis after being unchained so they didn't have to witness the farce.

At this moment I'm the oldest active Compact member, and only Valorie and Clarity remain from the official founding. I'm not sure if I've changed or the Ironwood has, but I don't feel I fit here anymore, especially with Nexrin now gone. I hate that I was so wrapped up in research that I missed his departure, there always seems to be a new crisis on the horizon and I have to burn the candle at both ends to keep up with the Compact and my own goals, and even then I can't keep up. Complicating matters even further I just received a letter back from the Executors in Fort Andrel. They've been so impressed with my discoveries here in the East with uncovering the collapse of the Empire of Stone, the remnants of the Druidaica, and Divaki, a city that predates the historical record they've offered me a position as an Executor, a brand new position as the Dean of Reclamation, specializing in recovering lost knowledge and history. I've long dreamed of becoming an Executor, but to have a position hand-crafted for me is something I could have never imagined before now. To think a year ago I had never left Silver Valley, and now I've seen parts of the world that most never even dreamed existed.

I have to take the position, but there's no feasible way I can do this and continue with the Compact. I've done a lot of good with them, but I've also had to compromise so much. I've done things I will regret for the rest of my life, and it feels like as I've tried to stick to my convictions, the pressure to given it grows. With the Guildfolk it feels so easy, we have clear shared goals and principles, everyone goes through the same vetting process, there's a hierarchy. In comparison the Compact feels like chaos, and actions I didn't even know occurred come to cause me complications. Spring is a time of new beginnings, it appears that means for me as well. My time in Highhall will give me some time to contemplate my priorities as Dean, I think the time away might do me some good.

-From the Journal of Uzmir ag'Ghanim, Dean of Reclamation dated 14th of Bloom, Year 366 Age of Suffering