69novels Page 85
Page 85
A sweeping tail that cut through the phantom sent the relentlessly pursuing pale-faced white dragon sorcerer sprawling down the ridge in a ">" shape. A vertical slash with the wing blades shattered the spine of the approaching green dragon, which was breathing down on it. The hind claws gripped the dragon's neck, and then, braving the barrage of steam-powered ballistae that had finally caught up, the dragon barrel-rolled to dodge the hooked beak of the crystal dragon mage that was biting its neck. The old roar brought its wings together from bottom to top, grabbing the dragon and pinning it to its body. The old roar restrained the two dragons and plunged them into the lava pool, pinning them to its body.
In the surging, dark red light of the lava pool, the rock walls of Klaus Valley were reflected with vein-like patterns. Old Roar's scarred face flickered in and out of the sulfurous steam, its claws hooking into the gaps in the scales of the Crystal Dragon's chest and abdomen, immersing half of its body in the boiling lava. Those transparent scales, said to be able to refract magic, were emitting a crisp sound like shattering glass.
The spine of the green dragon Ishnaraltor cracked with the sound of breaking wood. Its exaggeratedly curved wing hooks slapped futilely against the rocky platform, each struggle driving the obsidian crystal clusters embedded in its scales deeper. A hundred meters away, frost had formed at the edge of the dent in the mountain where the ancient white dragon had been smashed, creating an eerie contrast with the flowing lava around it.
"Listen to this sound, your prized gem resonance, doesn't it sound like a goblin smashing a pottery jar now?"
The burning saliva dripping from between the old roar's fangs scorched honeycomb-like holes into the crystal dragon's breastplate, each drop of slime exploding into a pool of magma with a sulfurous purple smoke. It deliberately used its guttural vocalizations to vibrate the crystal dragon's damaged scales, allowing the sound waves to penetrate its body through the scales' resonance: "Serendella, have you been hanging out with those mine rats for too long? Has your brain become as stubborn as stone? You even trust green dragons?"
After mocking the Crystal Dragon, it slung its neck behind it, tilted its head, and glared at the scabbard green dragon struggling under its hind paws: "And you, Ishna, you are the dumbest green lizard I have ever seen. Even an egg covered in mushrooms is much smarter than you. Did you carve your scabbard in the wrong place, carving the intricate patterns onto your cerebral cortex? Or have you already been corrupted into a zombie by the negative energy of that pile of skeletons from the Dragon Worship Cult?"
"You, a green lizard hiding in the woods catching insects, dare to challenge the authority of the Primordial Red Dragon?"
The red dragon clamped its hind claws around the green dragon's throat and twisted it clockwise. The sickening grinding sound of the dragons' necks mingled with the popping of lava bubbles, creating a brutal symphony in the valley.
Casalos had no intention of killing the dragons that had sneaked into "its" lair to ambush them. It was impersonating Roar, not Flamebringer. An actor should have some self-discipline, otherwise how could it fool the creature it wanted to deceive?
"It's only natural that they came to bother me; I provoked them first. But why did you burrow into my nest like a maggot and join them in attacking me?"
Do you really think that by joining forces with a few worthless creatures, you can challenge my position as the strongest dragon in the North?
Or are you coveting my treasure trove?
The green dragon remained silent, struggling to raise its head, only to discover that its basal vein had been pierced by the red dragon's hind claw. Emerald venom flowed along the grooves between Casaloz's scales, evaporating into a dark green mist under the intense dragonfire. Powerless to resist, the jeweled-cloaked lady, equally immobilized, still retorted defiantly, "Give me a break, you madman! When you attacked Mibara, it was a fight to the death between us!"
"Oh, really?" Old Roar raised his head and laughed loudly as he kicked the green dragon away. "Then what will you do then..."
The Statue Dragon, Amuris, slowly walked outside the dust and fire, maintaining a distance that wouldn't alert the Red Dragon. She used her thick, earth-digging forelimbs to step on the belly of the half-paralyzed Green Dragon, and listened to the strange, panting howls of the Crystal Dragon amidst the fire. A stiff, cold smile appeared on her cyborg face as she leaned down and whispered something in the Green Dragon's ear.
The latter first roared defiantly, then groaned in anguish as its shrunken abdomen collapsed, and finally bowed its head in submission.
The pure white dragon Elvia dragged the ancient white ghost from the collapsed ridge, shook its wings to rouse it, and then drove it away. The white dragon sorcerer, who had once dominated the northern lands, left Klaus Valley with his head drooping in humiliation, glancing back three times as he left.
Once the sea of fire had died down and the dust had settled, "Old Roar," having finished his business, used his tail to drag his wings around the trembling crystal dragon as he emerged. He shook his head and swung his body a few times, spewing out two streams of refreshing sulfurous flames from his nostrils.
"Hehe, you two are quite shrewd. At least the Color Dragon isn't entirely a disgrace to the Dragon Queen."
"The Queen of Dragons?" The pure white dragon tilted its head thoughtfully. Although Tiamat's divine name had long been forgotten by Faerûn, the worship of the Queen of Dragons was engraved deep in the souls of all white dragons.
Every white dragon is a seed of Tiamat's most loyal followers, even though Tiamat has never taken the white dragons seriously.
"The mother of evil dragons who disappeared tens of thousands of years ago?" the white dragon pressed.
"The Dragon Queen's gaze has never left Faerûn; she's just a piece of trash and doesn't deserve her attention... Am I right, Ishna?"
"So, it was that Dragon Queen who helped you escape the pursuit of the two silver dragons?"
The Statue Dragon swept the Carved Green Dragon with its tail, shoving it in front of Old Roar, leaving the Green Dragon speechless. She wasn't particularly fond of the Lost God; as a new-era, multi-talented dragon with dreams, ambitions, and revenge, Emuris was only concerned with the deal Casalos had made with her through telepathy: "The power He bestowed upon you, can it truly allow me to complete my research?"
"Of course, I never deceive my business partners."
"You're just good at hiding some crucial, deadly information," the pure white dragon interjected.
"But you still chose to make a deal with me."
"The price you've offered is enticing enough for a dragon. Compared to that slippery old rascal, Old Chewbone, your deal is much more credible." The white dragon was very honest.
“We never really formed an alliance with that cunning fellow.” The blue dragon glanced at the white dragon speechlessly, then shook its massive head and added, “My agreement with Klauge was limited to not interfering with each other until the treasure vault was found. If you hadn’t come and burned my experiments, I would have stayed on the sidelines and watched the show from the beginning. How exactly do you intend to compensate me for my losses?”
30. Post-war events
Chapter 269
Sulfur steam billowing from the lava pool condensed into dark golden veins on the rock walls. Roar Casalos's claws unconsciously scraped against the rock surface, each claw mark oozing fine sparks. The crystal dragon Serendella, entangled by the red dragon's tail, was still trembling; the crystal pillars that formed her wings refracted rainbows in the lava's reflection, like a broken kaleidoscope in a child's hand.
The old roar's nostrils twitched more frequently, and a predator's focused expression appeared on its scarred dragon face.
It released its grip on the crystal dragon, letting it fall to the edge of the boiling pool. Her transparent scales had softened, like beeswax baked by the scorching sun.
"Now is not the time to talk." It suddenly swung its tail, sweeping the crystal dragon towards the rock wall. Broken crystal clusters flew everywhere with the impact of the collision, shattering into sparks as they hit the dark red scales.
“I can already smell the fermenting ale stench from the mine rats’ glands.” Saliva dripping from between the red dragon’s fangs etched smoking holes into the rocky ground. “If you don’t want them to become roasted field mice, and you don’t want Mibala to become a scorched monument, then go and take them away, convince them to never bother me again, and then come back to me alone, understand?”
The crystal dragon's curled-up body suddenly stiffened. The resonant scales on her neck vibrated at a high frequency, distorting the mental fluctuations into materialized light patterns—a unique posture of compromise characteristic of the crystal dragon race.
Serendella's shattered wingtip swept across the boiling slurry, the sparks forming the dwarven rune "retreat" in the air. For the sake of the lives of tens of thousands of people in Mibara, the Crystal Dragon was forced to accept Grommash Hellscream's "peace treaty."
As the crystal dragon led the dwarven army away from the canyon, Amuris's cyborg claws, covered in adamantite teeth, probed into the lava pool. Arcs of electricity crackled across the metal plates covering her spine, mingling with the hissing and grinding sounds of gears.
The pure white dragon intently licked the frost marks left by the ancient white dragon. Each time her tongue touched the rock face, it solidified the lava into an obsidian mirror. The reflection in the mirror was not of the dragon, but of the mage tower within the glorious crown city of the North.
The Crystal Dragon took away the troublemakers, allowing the Red Dragon, the Semi-Mechanical Blue Dragon, and the White Dragon to continue discussing the details of the trade, thus bringing an unexpected encounter to a complete end.
The collapsing magic network revealed the spells' failure, and prophecies were already distorted; no one knows what agreement the three chromatic dragons ultimately reached. The Northlands, Sword Coast, and other factions only know that Grommash Hellscream has returned powerfully from the Astral Plane—will it continue its frenzied attacks?
The Old Bone Chewer, who had been hiding for many years, was defeated and forced to retreat. The Ancient White Death, who had roamed the North, was abandoned by the Pure White Claw. The Hidden Glyph was captured and became a prisoner. The Lady in the Gem Cloak was forced to live in Klaus Valley... Will the power of the dragons in the North be redefined?
In addition to the rampaging magic of riots, the northern lands have been struck by another natural calamity: the dragon plague.
Well, the calamity of dragons has never been far from the people of Faerûn.
Previously, the Silver Dragon Paladins of the Claws of Justice kept the dragons of the North in check. Now, the core force of the Claws of Justice went to the Astral Plane to pursue Grommash Hellscream, but Grommash Hellscream returned. The Silver Dragon Paladins, lacking a stable Astral Plane passage, were trapped outside the Prime Material Plane by the turbulent magical network. The Gem-Cloaked Lady, who guarded the area around Mibara, was coerced into becoming Grommash Hellscream's "handmaiden." The remaining good metal dragons of the North were in dire need of manpower. It was difficult to predict how much chaos the dragon plague unleashed by the evil and greedy color dragons would cause.
The Roar that transformed into Klaus wasn't as crazy as outsiders thought. After Amurice and Elvia left, it went to the Roar's treasure vault that the adventurers brought by Old Chewbon had found, casually inspecting the vault's door, while its mind was churning with all sorts of chaotic thoughts.
Previously, it had angered more than just a few dragons while disguised as the Old Roar.
From the dragon statue, we can learn that the dragons staying in its lair were actually guys who thought Grommash was doomed and came to steal the treasure. They had only reached a loose agreement within the framework of the previous Anti-Growling Alliance, and they just happened to run into Casalos, who had completely replaced Grommash and returned to the Prime Material Plane, which led to this strange encounter.
Quite a few colorful dragons have joined the Anti-Roar Alliance. After learning of Old Roar's return, they will inevitably launch a real attack on Klaus Valley. Of course, the Anti-Roar Alliance's core high-end combat force was basically destroyed in the skirmish. Old Bone Chewer's retreat means he will no longer be trusted by the Anti-Roar Alliance. The Statue Dragon and the Pure White Dragon were turned against the Alliance, and Ancient White Death was abandoned. The remaining dragons of the Anti-Roar Alliance will not amount to much.
The real crisis that replaced Roaring was facing was with the Metal Dragons. The Metal Dragons it had angered were no less than the Chromatic Dragons. Most of the neutral Gem Dragons had also joined the Metal Dragons' side. There aren't many "stone-headed" people like Lady Gem Cloak who dare to trust the Chromatic Dragons.
Leaving aside those further back, the veteran dragons of Casalos, such as Vera Marandes and Silverwing, as well as the old golden dragon Dracol, were enough to give Roar a hard time, not to mention the fake Roar who eventually went directly to the Golden Dragon Court.
Hevilan, Azak, and the other main forces of the Claws of Justice are trapped in the Astral Plane. The former Prince of Glory, the Ice King Parotanser, the current Prince of Justice, Lares, and the next one to succeed them, Tamarand, are all in the Prime Material Plane.
The most powerful golden dragon in Faerûn, capable of upholding the legendary barrier that protects all the metallic dragons of Faerûn during dragon frenzy, the "Nexus" of Larendran Maga was also sprayed face-to-face by a fake Grommash Hellscream...
"He brought this on himself!"
Having figured out what he might face in the future, Casalos, who had replaced Roar, let out a wail and continued to silently accept Roar's legacy.
The treasure vault located in the cave of Klaus Valley is secondary; Casalos now looks down on Grommash Hellscream's meager "treasure." It's not boasting, but the profits generated annually from Dragonflight's diverse trade likely exceed the profits accumulated by these feudal dragons over thousands of years through cunning and plunder. Add to that the wealth accumulated during the Nesser era in the floating city of Elena, and Casalos is undoubtedly the richest dragon in Faerûn, bar none.
Klaus Valley, this little treasure trove, is probably not even Old Roar's only treasure trove. It's just a drop in the ocean.
Of course, as a dragon, Casalos wouldn't miss even the chance to add a single copper coin to its treasury, especially since this limb-like clone of its was replacing Roar, whose treasury was originally its own.
Furthermore, to maintain the authenticity of its identity, it cannot have too much involvement with the Dragon Lord before establishing a normal relationship with them under the identity of Old Roar. It hasn't even contacted Charson, after all, the real person it wants to deceive is the Dragon God, and it can't be too careful.
In this way, those lackeys that Roar secretly recruited and controlled in the Prime Material Plane are the wealth that Casalos most urgently needs to acquire.
31. Treasure Trove
How can we contact the forces that Lao Hou originally secretly controlled?
Casalos replaced Grommash Hellscream, and there were no flaws in its body, dragon soul, or power, but it did not obtain Grommash Hellscream's memories.
Roaring is a cunning fellow who doesn't seem like a typical red dragon. The factions he secretly controlled were completely unaware of their true boss, and even if they heard the news of Roaring's return, they wouldn't take the initiative to contact Casalos.
The solution ultimately comes back to the treasure vault. The Old Roar doesn't control any respectable forces; the things it instigates them to do are mostly shady operations. This sneaky ancient red dragon never directly contacts them with magic in order to clear itself of any wrongdoing afterward—Old Roar himself is a master of prophecy, and finding traces of communication spells in the magic network to track down the mastermind is a very common method for him.
Therefore, we can infer that the way the Roar communicated with his forces was either some kind of strange object or something primitive that did not rely on magic but was difficult to trace, such as common parchment secret letters written with ordinary ink... Hopefully, the Roar retreated quickly enough and left some clues that were not destroyed in the vault.
Deep in the treasure vault
Chapter 270
Roar Casaroz's claws scraped against the adamantite gate, sparking blue-purple flames that illuminated the hidden dragon runes: "Power and cunning forged together."
The anti-magic stone powder mixed in with the stone was frantically smoothing out the chaotic magical energy, even suppressing the terrifying aura of the ancient dragon into a faint glow.
Blocking its way was a massive stone gate mixed with anti-magic stones and adamantite powder. The surface of the stone gate was covered with claw-shaped indentations, and dark red crystals condensed at the edges of each mark. These were probably the molten material left behind when Old Roar tested the strength of the gate with his dragon breath.
This thing is the barrier guarding Grommash Hellscream's underground vault, and the walls of the vault are made of the same material. Strangely enough, as one of the few true dragon arcane masters in Faerûn, Grommash Hellscream doesn't trust magic to protect his vault, and it has no magical defenses in place.
It has more faith in the pure power of its own dragon body.
The magic-blocking stones mixed in with the treasure vault interfered with all magical effects. Even the breath of the ancient red dragon could hardly burn through the stone door mixed with adamantite. The only way to open the treasure vault in a short time was to use pure strength to forcefully lift the stone door.
To be fair, considering Faerûn's over-reliance on magic in its technological development, this vault is indeed secure enough. Grommash Hellscream, who learned to eat red dragon eggs to enhance his physique since the time of Netheril, is far stronger than an ordinary ancient red dragon. Aside from himself, under normal circumstances, nothing in the Prime Material Plane could forcibly open the vault's door before Grommash Hellscream noticed it, probably...
Of course, this normal situation does not include Casalos.
Its clone was a complete replica of Old Roar's body, and lifting the stone door only required a little effort. Even without inheriting Old Roar's power, it had many ways to open this overly clumsy door.
The behemoth that pierced through the Terasque was specifically designed to pry open such structures, relying not on magic, but on certain rules at a more fundamental level. Furthermore, the materials used in Dragon Territory were of high quality, and the manufacturing process was up to standard, making it relatively easy for a purely mechanical device to open such a door.
It's just a giant rock weighing thousands of tons. Aren't the outer shell modules of the Dragon Territory Dark Area Shelter bigger and heavier than this?
Desela's shipyard already has several 500,000-ton cargo ships launched, so what's a few thousand tons?
Unfortunately, Casalos can't use any of those things now. Since it's decided to cosplay Grommash Hellscream, it has to leave no flaws. So, it can only use its wing hooks and front paws to support itself on the pre-reserved support points on the stone door, huffing and puffing as it lifts the door up, looking as clumsy as it despises itself.
The humus emanating from behind the door was mixed with the sulfurous smell unique to the red dragon. 764 luminous pearls were inlaid on the dome, forming the shape of a northern star map, illuminating every corner of the treasure vault. A mournful song that moved the dragon's soul murmured softly. No one knew how many sea monsters Old Roar had killed to build this starry dome.
Thirty-seven rows of obsidian display shelves were neatly arranged, each shelf engraved with a number etched in mithril. Old Roar's lifelong collection was finally displayed before Casalos.
Besides the various currencies and jewels categorized and boxed by foundry, which are essential items in the dragon's treasure trove, there are also the family crest rings of the nobles of Neverwinter, the gilded quills of the port master of Waterdeep, the bronze helm of the Baldur's Gate pirate ship... These seemingly ordinary items in the realm of anti-magic are actually the invisible reins that control the Sword Coast.
"It's really rare."
Asgrass endowed dragons with the memory to remember the location and angle of every copper coin in their treasure vault, as well as the observational ability to instantly identify what's missing or whether the vault has been tampered with—Cassaloz strongly suspected that a large part of the dragons' extraordinary intelligence and perception was used for this purpose—in short, the dragons' amazing physiological abilities made them lack the awareness to organize their treasure vaults; most dragon treasures were simply piled up haphazardly and never organized, and it was extremely rare to see a dragon like Growler neatly arranging them with shelves.
Casalos's own treasure trove would probably be a mountain of loot if it weren't for his loyal dogs keeping it organized.
Casalos's good living habits made it easy to take stock of his estate. At a glance, the value of this treasure trove was accurately presented, and several special items caught Casalos's attention.
The first item is a map of the Forgotten Realms covering the entire wall. This map is made up of fine dragon scales of different colors. These are the "dragon scales" that only appear on the top of the dragon egg shells. The last remnants of the dragon eggs that Roar stole over the past thousand years are probably all here.
Large, conspicuous red dragon scales marked numerous locations on the map, with specific times and events inscribed on the scales in runes—this wicked fellow had recorded every egg-stealing operation he had ever undertaken, making it a blasphemous diary worthy of divine punishment from Lady Tamara.
Unfortunately, like most dragon gods, Lady Tamara no longer looks upon Faerûn.
On the outermost display shelf, six crystal balls were locked in mithril boxes. The surface of the boxes was engraved with blood-red runes that could only be seen with arcane vision. It looked like some kind of curse. If an unsuspecting person took these boxes and left the area of the vault's anti-magic domain, they would probably be tormented by the reactivated curse, unable to live or die.
Behind the crystal ball was the unique parchment demonic covenant of the Barto Hell. Grommash's wing hook swept over the covenant, and blood-red hellish script appeared on the parchment. The topmost one recorded the oath of "The Spider" Maria, the leader of the Shadow Claws of Neverwinter: "By the blood of my daughter, I pledge my eternal allegiance to the Lord of Shadows."
"Hmm, it seems that Old Roar also calls himself the 'Lord of Shadows'."
32. The Unknown of the Unknown
The light of Suren, shrouding the perpetually winterless peninsula and docks of the skillful city, was obscured by purple clouds, while the bluish-gray sunlight smeared like viscous paint on the tin roofs of beggars' huts. The spires of the arcane towers pierced the clouds, the glow of their enchanted crystals mingling with the unusual celestial phenomena to create an eerie bluish-purple halo over the docks.
The residents of Neverwinter were already used to this day-night cycle, and compared to the rose bushes that burst out of the magnificent gardens to dance in the central square and the living oak trees that marched side by side to the town hall and spewed acid, the abnormal lighting that lasted for three weeks was a trivial nuisance.
The "Poisonous Spider" huddled in a secret chamber in the clock tower north of the Flying Dragon Bridge. Fragments of her fingernails, slashed off by a spider silk dagger, fell into a bronze incense burner, crackling amidst the burning purple mushroom powder. Her left half was hidden in shadow, while her right half was sharply defined by the bluish-gray light, resembling a gargoyle abandoned in a cemetery. Through a narrow observation hole, one could see the street below: twenty-six citizens, entwined by animated vines, mechanically swept the road again and again, their eye sockets filled with tiny white flowers.
“It is said that the gods have descended upon the world,” she said, poking at the ashes in the incense burner with the tip of her dagger, “but no one has come to deal with these mad bushes.”
Suddenly, the clicking sound of gears turning came from the west wall of the room, and an envelope wrapped in cobwebs popped out from a hidden compartment. The purple mushroom sealing wax expanded and cracked the moment it came into contact with the air, releasing sweet, hallucinogenic spores.
Maria's emerald pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints. The spiderweb tattoo on her back glowed with a ghostly blue light, and the venomous secretions from her glands formed a protective film on her skin. She brought the envelope to her nose and inhaled deeply; the burning sensation from the reaction of the spores and venom caused her pupils to shrink to pinpoints again. The invisible writing on the edge of the letter became visible under the influence of the venom, and burning dwarven runes outlined a deadly plan: seven days later, ensure that the twelve councilors drink the wine served at the coronation banquet. The oak barrels in the third row of the cellar had been replaced with Viridian Mushroom Poison, whose symptoms mimicked putrefaction. P.S.: The Silvermoon City caravan will unload three crates of Soulbound Crystals at the Black Lake district docks, to be received by the dwarven transport golems in the fourth warehouse.
"The day has finally come..."
Meanwhile, a rat infestation broke out in the sewers of the Glorious City. Magical chaos caused rodents to grow to enormous sizes, with gray rats the size of calves bursting through manhole covers and rushing into the streets, causing the Watchers a great deal of trouble.
Glock Anvil hides in his underground workshop, the malfunctioning machine
Chapter 271
His prosthetic eye suddenly flashed red. The bronze letter tube that had fallen from the ventilation duct crashed onto the alchemy workbench, and the claw-like grooves on the tube sent phantom pain through his mechanical spine—a memory of the nerves in his left arm being torn apart by an invisible force five years ago when he breached the contract.
"The monster is back..."
The dwarf trembled as he pried open the letter tube. The gunpowder-soaked parchment triggered the automatic defense mechanism. Brass tweezers picked up the letter and unfolded it: "Beneath the headquarters of the Sword Coast Merchant Guild lies a dwarven high explosive marked 'Skullbreaker,' to be detonated on the Harpist's patrol day. Be sure to preserve the fragments of the Dumas emblem in the ruins. Note: The twelve cartloads of sulfur transported through Dagger Beach this month must be mixed with 30% inferior Amn sulfur…"
The sea breeze from Baldur's Gate carried the distinctive stench of rotting fish characteristic of the Bloodsail Fleet. On the deck of the flagship, Kiss of the Abyss, Senua used her adamantite grappling hook to tear open a whalehide pouch. The blood-stained letter, bathed in the golden light of Suren, revealed dark patterns: Three slave ships were released during the raid on the Amn Golden Fleet. The cargo was replaced with swarms of plagued rats, and the course was changed to head straight for Moonshadow Isle port.
The ruby in the Pirate Queen's earring flashed with a cold light as she rolled the letter into a tube and stuffed it into the captive's ear canal.
“Tell your master,” the sharkskin boot tip kicked the screaming Zantalin spy off the ship, “that the Bloodsail’s generous gift is about to arrive at Port Calder.”
In the rose garden of the High Palace in Silvermoon City, Nightshade Grass seeds were silently infiltrating precious flower varieties. "The Mask of the Moon" wore gardener's gloves stained with mud, and his disguised hunchback perfectly concealed the blood-written letter hidden beneath the leather gloves.
"It's that dirty work again... Disguising it as an ornamental plant donated by the Chamber of Commerce, mixing Nightshade Grass into the rare flowers of the Supreme Palace, goal achieved. Bribing the master of ceremonies at the Temple of Dawn to adjust the time of the monthly blessing ceremony to the day the Nightshade Grass blooms, still in progress. Burning incense mixed with hallucinogenic spores in the corridor where the priests pass by, ensuring that they accidentally inhale the deadly pollen, still need to wait... As for a scapegoat, that's easy to find."
On the shores of Lake Esmir, where a raging tide of water elementals swept through, Kel'Thuzad of the Shadowdaggers slit his wrist with his dagger. Blood dripped onto the raised runes of the parchment, and the crests of the great Amn families gradually materialized in the pool of blood. The assassin's soulfire resonated in his chest, and the blade carved a three-inch-deep death proclamation into the ground.
Outside the immersive realm of the Old Roar's Vault, Casalos used his mage's hand to lift the "Shadow Oath Box," wrapped in Shadow Dragon hide. This container, carved from the throat bone of an ancient Shadow Dragon, oozed a pitch-like black mist. Seventy-two secret letters were bound together, categorized by city; the Waterdeep letters were stained with gear lubricant, the Baldur's Gate letters were covered in sea salt crystals, and each sealing wax envelope contained a blood sample from a gang leader.