Realms S120 The Road Ahead

The group heads back to Rheragord and find their last trip unleashed a powerful beast not seen in the world for centuries.

### Synopsis

Dorius intercepts our Torq, Denahi and Burakubuu as they head off to gather Jeidobii for the trip to Rheragord. Dorius informs them that Jeidobii's niece has been in a deep sleep since the battle and only just awoken, so he is at her side. The trio asks Dorius to let their friend know where to find them. They go back to the manor, load up Carlox, and head out.

The trio enjoys an uneventful two days of travel. As the second day ends, they settle in for the night. Denahi has a dream in which she sees her aunt coming to defend her and her brother as a knight approaches. Burakubuu takes the third watch and while Denahi and Torq continue sleeping, he spots something on the approach. He readies himself but instead discovers it is Jeidobii, riding a giant eagle! Jeidobii dismisses the eagle and greets his friend.

Just then, Burakubuu spots flashing purple light in the sky and coming closer from the direction of Reheragord. He points it out to Jeidobii and as it comes closer it seems it may be... no, surely not, Jeidobii tells himself. Buu wakes Denahi and Torq just as a looming figure swoops into view on leathery wings... A DRAGON!

Not seen in almost a thousand years, dragons had become the stock of legends and fariy tales but there was no doubt in Jeidobii's mind that descending upon them in all of it's azure glory and terror was a dragon. And not a happy one.

"You've woken me..."

Jeidboii takes cover, as does Denahi. Torq jumps onto the cart and mounts the newly-installed ballista and readies himself. Burakubuu looks up at the impossible beast and sees a blackness within. He bursts with light and flies up, face to face with the dragon.

"What's your name, dragon?"

"Nevres, and I remember you... I smelled you... You woke me..."

The dragon reveals that it has already laid waste to the town of Rheragord and Buu can no longer restrain himself. He unleashes a volley of blows upon the dragon. Torq takes this as his signal and fires the ballista. Jeidobii empties several charges from Zin's wand upon the dragon. Denahi uses her black pearls to unleash a powerful death magic on the dragon. All of this and the dragon persists. The evil dragon Nevres readies it's powerful retalliation, blasting the party with purple flame, forcing Buu to retreat for the moment and Torq to abandon the ballista. Just then, the elder goliath Varg charges in, swiping at the beast's legs. Burakubuu takes the moment of opportunity to drop from the sky onto the dragon with a powerful elbow drop. Jeidobii calls his new eagle friends back into action and directs them to begin attacking the dragon's wings to great effect.

The dragon is finally showing signs of damage and having difficulty keeping itself aloft, but in it's pained fury it knocks Torq unconscious. Jeidobii sends an eagle to carry him to safety. Burakubuu and Varg keep the dragon engaged and Denahi heals her friends. With regained consciousness, Torq mounts onto the eagle and charges in and just as he comes into range... the eagle disappears. Jeidobii has no fallen to the wild flurry of attacks. And then, Denahi.

Varg throws himself onto the dragon's back, pulling it's attention from the fallen. Burakubuu drops to place a healing hand upon his friend Jeidobii and sets to pummeling the dragon once more, burning it with celestial light with each blow. Torq gets to his feet and lets out a mighty roar.

"Raaaaaaaaar!"

With unprecedented fury, Torq lets loose swinging. He triggers the Souls of Vengeance within his blades and a demon fury possesses him. As his eyes go a smoky black he devestates the dragon, bringing it down and hacking relentlessly at its corpse. The dragon is defeated but Torq's fury does not relent. He turns and slashes at Varg as he approaches. Burakubuum realizing his friend has lost control, closes in and attempt to stun Torq but the Goliath proves too hardy. As Buu dodges the dangerous axes Jeidobii leaps upon Torq from behind, encasing his temples and healing the berserk man's mind.

Torq calms, his senses regained. He turns to apologize to his friends, but is also delighted with the new head for his collection. Varg congratulates him, and expresses no resentment. Jeidobii, however, is not so easily assured the danger is over. Torq assures his friends that such a fury is rare, but should it ever overcome him again he'll be better prepared to handle it.

Leaving Varg to return to his home and heal, the party rushes to Rheragord. There they find the town in flames. They set to extinguishing the fires and pulling the injured to safety. Burakubuu finds and rescues Farrah, the innkeeper, and her daughter Rosa. Jeidobii rushes to the church and discovers Dumond.

Taking the form of a gorilla, he pulls the holy man from the rubble but Jazelle is nowhere to be found.

Jeidobii rushes to her home and finds her seemingly dead. In desperation he uses powerful healing magic and brings her back from the brink.

Back in the square, a woman carrying her charred baby cries out.

"You did this! You brought this terror upon us!"

Buu, Torq and Denahi realize this dragon was the great evil from which they fled in the mountain depths. Burakubuu has no words, no response. He rushes to the monastery to see if here, too, they have fled and finds it empty.