Arcadius and the Shadow Dragon

(From notes written several months past)

PART I - THE FIRST BATTLE

It had to be done, though little did I know at the time what that would require. I placed my fate in the hands of Lord Pelor, praise be upon him, and saw it through.

As it is said in my land, rightly we have done, rightly we do, and rightly may we do in the times to come.

I had felt for some time a foreboding, a growing knowledge that some new duty lay near in my future. I became quiet, withdrawn into meditation and reflection upon the will of Pelor and the tasks assigned by fate. What that task might prove to be, I did not know, but resolved that I would not shirk when the matter became clear. To my companions, I must have seemed strange, not myself, and in truth it was so, for I focused my mind, my spirit, to be but a weapon of righteousness in the hands of Lord Pelor.

We had been fooled by the Shadow Dragon, in its guise as a ranger. We chased it from the wilderness to the frontiers of the cursed Empire, where alas, it escaped to another plane of existence. In a town on the frontier, Jacob unwisely used his arcane powers, thereby scorching a patch of land of life and attracting much justified intervention from the authorities. He, untrustworthy soul, fled to parts unknown!

In the night that followed, I had a vision.

My companions, both those present and others dimly seen in the future, continued our quest, battling the foul Aboleth and their servants. We advanced through mysteries and dangers half-seen in my mind, as through a fog, till we reached a final confrontation with the Aboleth in their sunken city. Even as we did these things, however, the Dragon roamed the planes, gathering knowledge and power until it met an ancient and wicked Dracolich, who in turn gifted it with a tome of Necromantic power. Using this tome, the Shadow Dragon built an army of dead and darksome things, increasing its power in secret even as heroes and armies put their attention to the foe from the depths. Then, some time not long after the final victory over the Aboleth and their forces, the Shadow Dragon unleashed its armies against a weakened and war-torn world, sweeping all before them.

Something had to be done. Something WOULD be done, and against things of shadow and darkness, who but Lord Pelor could best do it? As his servant, I accepted the task and departed from the others. Gifted with certain insights from my vision, I journeyed to a place where I suspected the Dragon had a lair on this plane. It was in the wilds outside the Empire - not near, yet close enough. By the grace of Lord Pelor, I found the place in a twisted knot of blasted and treeless hills, and even came across a half-ruined and neglected back entrance. Indeed it seemed likely that the place had once been a dwelling of goblins, kobolds, or some other tunneling race of near to man size.

I entered the lair, and again by the grace of Pelor, reached the foul thing unnoticed. It had itself returned only moments before from some other plane of existence. It appeared to be wounded, and was surprised and unprepared at my arrival. I attacked at once, chanting a prayer to the Sun. Nonetheless, it was powerful. A vast and evil thing of blackness, it wielded power over the very dark itself.

I called upon the aid of Lord Pelor and dealt it devastating blow after blow. It was gravely wounded in the first few moments of fighting, but then it seemed to recover strength, called forth shadows to hide its counterattack, and breathed forth unlife to attack me. Praise to Lord Pelor, for his power is suited above all others to counter such things. Still, it was a mighty creature and well armed with claws, teeth, and fell magic. Indeed as the battle raged on, it seemed it might gain the upper hand, but the vile servitor of evil seemed to have other concerns, and used its magic to teleport away.

I investigated its lair, and found little treasure such as men reckon it, but much wealth of a greater kind: knowledge. Among the writings the Dragon kept at this place were old tomes, scrolls, and letters of correspondence. Piecing together what was contained therein, with the guidance of Pelor I gained new insights - the thing truly dwelt on another plane, the very plane of shadow in fact, and could not be permanently killed here. I considered what had happened, and knew that surprise and luck had been on my side. I accepted that I must grow stronger to defeat such a thing, and set myself to the task. Realizing the wisdom of preparation, I left the lair and traveled some distance to a hiding place in the wilds.

My goal was to rest for the night, then return to the dragon's lair, where I intended to collect the Dragon's books and other documents, as well as such wealth and items of power as could be collected. I hoped to study in greater depth what I had found, to find more of the thing's plots, powers, and weaknesses.

It did not turn out so.