Expedition 48: Taking the Black out of Blackwater

### Summary

We pacify the Blackwater Swamp, fighting some ghouls, trolls, and an undead black dragon.

### Detailed Writeup

*Since Yezra earned 5 renown on New Tidelight from this expedition, this is the story she tells to her clanmates.*

"We set out in ze dawn of ze morning... four ships, carrying workers and crewmen along wiz us, their protectors. The eerie dark of the blackwater swamp closed over us as ve entered ze mouth of ze river, black and dark as death.

"And death it was, as ve soon saw dozens of corpses floating in the river, limp and waterlogged. Nexrin did not trust them, so he shot at one wiz his mighty bow, and zey all animated in a single instant, clamboring aboard our ships! I called to the heavens for ze aid of Tempus, and unleashed wrath of lightning upon zem all. CRASH!! Lightning struck ze water and killed many. Nexrin used his powerful bow to slay many more, and Marzipan - you know Marzipan - called upon his god to destroy some others. But zere were too many, and although ve could protect ze boats ve were on, ve could not save all ze boats and several crewmen died. Ze ghouls zen broke through ze bottoms of ze boats and came up from below, but ve were holding zem off.

"Then a massive, undead giant came through ze dim light of ze swamp. Haggard, its flesh hanging off, it wanted us for dinner! It approached a boat and grabbed a crewman and snapped him in half. Nexrin harmed it a lot wiz his bow, but as it vas getting away, I once again SCREECHED in ze power of ze storm lord and called the power of ze storm onto his head - CRACK!! - felling him as he crashed into ze water.

"Since life had been lost, some were unsure about continuing, but ve had enough vitality left to press onwards. We manage to reach ze site of ze future fort without any further encounters. Some of us help ze workers, and other of us keep watch.

"We see approaching us very slowly a beast lumbering achingly slowly towards us, though ve cannot make out what it is. We move closer, and Tolyr goes to look at it: it appears to be a giant turtle clad in... wooden armor? We only have a moment to ponder what in the world would clad a turtle in more armor when four lanky, greasy trolls appear, surrounding our group! It was a diversion! A trap!

"Nexrin, who planned ahead, handed us all flasks of oil, as trolls must be burnt by ze power of fire or acid for zem to die. We decide to split up - Nexrin and I attacked one, Tolyr and Silvert the ozer, and Marzipan protecting ze workmen. We fight zem, Marzipan wiz his mighty luminescent spatula, Nexrin wiz his bow, Tolyr wiz his wand, and Silvert wiz his sword. Tolyr fells one! And Silvert burns it. I get hit by ze troll, and it knocks me out. Tolyr waves his wand and the three trolls all -pop- out of existence! Zey have been banished, giving zem enough time to resuscitate me and get into a better formation, saving ze workers.

"As soon as zey -pop- back into existence, Tolyr conjures a massive ball of fire and cooks zem all! If we kill zem now, zey stay dead, you see. Nezrin fires wiz his bow! I fell one! Tolyr fireballs again! And we prevail.

"At zis point, we think ze worst is over. And it is, for a time. We stay ze night - some of us rest, some of us keep watch. Luckily, ze night is peaceful.

"But ze worst was still yet to come. Nexrin sees, floating down ze river, a corpse of an elven woman... we decide we must help her, in case she is still alive by some miracle of ze gods. Nexrin throws a rope around her, and starts pulling her in - *when out of ze water emerges a BLACK DRAGON!* wiz ze woman on its horns. It is tattered, broken, and perhaps undead, but undeniably draconic. What put ze black in blackwater, indeed!

"It taunts at us - \*Yezra then repeats what it said in Draconic\*, and blows a MASSIVE blast of acidic breath in our direction, harming Tolyr and Silvert quite badly. Tolyr does not try to hurt it, hoping it will talk, but Nexrin and I already heard its foul words and saw its foul acid and we knew zis dragon had to die. Silvert is scared out of his little wits, and runs off but aims a crossbow at it. Perhaps he was right to be scared - ze dragon grabs the little mouse Marzipan and *drags him under ze water!*

"Marzipan struggles valiantly, and Nexrin and I try to attack it under ze water wiz his spear and my javelins. Just as Marzipan is running out of breath, he breaks free of ze dragon's claws and struggles his way to ze surface wiz Nexrin's help. As soon as he is out of ze water, Marzipan casts something allowing us all to walk on water, so zis does not happen again. He even manages to cast it on ze dragon! Ze *swimming* dragon!" Yezra chuckles.

"But we could not prevail for long - ze dragon grabs Tolyr, and knocks him unconscious. The dragon once again tries to intimidate us - \*Yezra again repeats in Draconic\* - and he begins to crush Tolyr, threatening to rip him in twain.

"But clever Marzipan is a quick thinker - he banishes not the dragon, but *Tolyr!* As ze dragon makes to rip him in half, he looks down and sees zat ze half-elf is no longer in his grasp, but has *vanished into thin air!* Ze dragon screams but we rain all hell upon it, as it has no more of us to threaten to kill.

"When finally it comes to me and I know zat zis dragon must die, and I must be ze one to do it. I call to ze storm lord in a loud *SCREECH* and a booming blast of thunder *CRACKS* out from all directions from me and ze dragon is BLASTED backwards, tumbling as it goes unconscious. It is still breathing, but there can be no mercy for zis creature, and I slit its throat.

"Nexrin gathered a fang for me, see zis?" Yezra holds up her new necklace. "Zis is from the black dragon of ze blackwater, now to rise out of ze swamp no more."