The Gauntlet of Challenge-Cry, Part 1 (Neth (X) 1st, 4712 AR)

The Guardian Hall. Opening the south port set in the wall is easy but extremely dangerous: a stream of cold energy shoots across the chamber to the opposite wall, dealing damage to anything in its path each round.

Concealed under the workbench in a secret compartment were two spellbooks. One spellbook is unremarkable. It is worth 990 gp.

The other spellbook, however, is very unusual: its covers are bronze plates engraved to resemble interlocking golem fists, it is thicker than the typical spellbook, and it has an integral hinged bronze bookmark in the shape of a golem’s arm. This arm is actually a mechanical trap and attacked Gryxxa when she touched the book. The book is worth 11,250 gp due to its integrated trap and unusual materials.

The Epitaphrum. As the heroes ascended toward the plateau of the Epitaphrum, it became easier than it was at the base of the Throat of Shearphorus to identify the source of Astersyn’s screams, their meaning, and the voice of the Epitaphrum. The heroes identified the source as an elder male bronze dragon. They also caught the context of the voice of the Epitaphrum: a continuous cycle through a list of draconic names. The heroes also became subject to Astersyn’s frightful presence when they saw him.

This flat, circular plateau, one hundred feet across, is glassy-smooth and bears several large runes inscribed in its center, but it is otherwise completely bare. Large chunks of stone have been broken off the periphery. A narrow saddle of rock connects this pillar back to the throat of the mountain. A steady, disembodied voice emanates from a polished iron inlay of two precisely overlapping hexagons set in the mountain’s wall sixty feet above the far side of the connecting saddle. The voice emanating from the symbol is powerful, alternating between male and female.

Of course, the heroes also find the bronze wyrm Astersyn here, crying for the disembodied voice to call his name. In his decrepit state, he flew into Dragonfall. He knows he should be here, but at the same time, he knows he shouldn’t be aware of being here. He believes only hearing his name called will fix the problem. The guardians who confronted Astersyn on his arrival damaged him and he is too tired to heal himself — in fact, he harmed himself by attacking the structure of the place. The bloody streaks that mar Astersyn's hide gave him a sinister look.

Astersyn initially disregarded the heroes. Since the heroes had determined how Dragonfall is supposed to work, the easiest course of action was to convince Astersyn to go to Stormwatch and commence with the ceremony. This course was hampered by the fact that Astersyn no longer remembered (if he ever knew) where the bronze dragon crypt is or how to activate the ritual, but the heroes convinced him to try after they overcame his natural horror at finding humanoids in Dragonfall. When the heroes brought him to within 20 feet of the door to Stormwatch, Astersyn gratefully thanked the heroes and entered the crypt.

Stormwatch. The storm raging above the mountain outside is nothing compared to the tempest that engulfs this chamber. Although it is located within a mountain, this room nevertheless appears to be a cliff overlooking a vast, storm-tossed sea. The roof of the cavern is obscured by thick, inky-black storm clouds that lash the jagged rocks of the cliff with a torrential downpour. Jagged flashes of lightning and deafening peals of thunder strike at the cliff face. Just a few feet away, opposite the portal, a small peninsula juts out into the angry sea. The flat area of rock offers a breathtaking view of the raging storm.

After the events in the Epitaphrum, the heroes were able to access this crypt. This is the highest of the crypts and is reserved for the bronze dragons. The storm is quite real, although it does not affect the area that is within 10 feet of the portal. When Aranthor moved beyond that he was immediately drenched with water.

The ritual for bronze dragons begins when the dragon steps out onto the peninsula. With a brilliant flash, dozens of bolts of lightning strike from the clouds above and outline the dragon’s form with a glowing silhouette of raw power. For a split-second, the dragon seems to become living lightning as the power surges through its body. And then, with an earth-shattering roar, the body disintegrates into particulate energy and becomes part of the rampaging storm above.

The Epitaphrum. After the heroes made their way past the bronze wyrm Astersyn, they saw that the runes in the center of the Epitaphrum state, in Draconic, “Speak your challenge.” When Aranthor translated in Draconic a statement Gryxxa made with an element of challenge to it, a 50-foot-diameter section of the floor slowly folded away to reveal a 240-foot-deep shaft leading down into the pillar.