Session 2025-09-13 — Age of Ashes

Narrative Summary

The party approached the ruined temple housing the red dragon pillar, their final obstacle before facing the Fortress of Sorrow. The ancient stone temple, partially reclaimed by the jungle, jutted from the undergrowth like broken teeth, its dragon-head towers carved in grimacing shapes. A flickering red light pulsed from the central tower's hollow, casting ominous crimson shadows. Chioma felt the strong divine corruption emanating from the place, while Renali sensed that the very stones remembered violence.

From within the tower came a chuckle—ancient, intelligent, and hungry. The creature revealed itself to be Kimbatuul, an ancient bida dragon who had served Dahak for centuries. The dragon attempted to sow discord through negotiation before conflict, offering three thousand gold pieces in exchange for the party turning over their elven companions (particularly Chioma) as sacrifices. When the party refused, Kimbatuul unleashed a theatrical display of arrogance, boasting about its magnificence—its jaws like swords, its tail like a crushing serpent, its lightning breath hotter than molten gold.

Before combat, Theo cast Haste on William, greatly increasing the champion's speed and action economy. Nadira cast Anointed Ground, creating a sanctified area of golden light that boosted the party's defenses. The dragon, seeing these divine preparations, recognized them as worthy opposition but still viewed the party with contempt.

Combat proved intense and challenging. William immediately took significant damage from Kimbatuul's attacks, getting grappled and thrown around by the massive reptilian creature. Despite his injuries, William continued to provide value by breaking the dragon's grapple attempts, preventing his more vulnerable companions from being pinned and crushed. Nadira cast Fireball from her starting position, though the dragon took only 10 damage from the initial blast. Chioma attacked with Piercing Hymn, a crystalline sonic blast infused with divine power that wounded both the dragon's body and its pride.

Renali attacked from her hybrid spider form but accomplished little. Theo attempted to slow the dragon magically but found it unaffected by the spell. Korag, one of Ifiok's companions, delivered a perfectly placed crossbow bolt that found a gap between the bida's scales, drawing dark blood and causing visible pain. His wound demonstrated that the dragon was vulnerable and could be hurt—that its earlier boasting meant nothing in the face of coordinated opposition.

Frazzle struggled significantly in combat. His gun repeatedly jammed despite his attempts to use Risky Reload, forcing him to spend actions unjamming it rather than dealing damage. His spell attacks against the dragon's high AC repeatedly missed. This session highlighted the ongoing issue of casters struggling against enemies with escalating AC values—Frazzle was forced to rely on his most reliable spells, particularly Radiant Torrent and Grim Tendril, to do any damage at all.

Ifiok and her companions continued their support, with Jemba and Korag providing crossbow fire and melee backup. The half-orcs' focused attacks kept pressure on the dragon, preventing it from focusing all its attention on the party's weaker members.

Despite the dragon's fearsome reputation and ancient power, the combined assault of the party and their allies proved overwhelming. Kimbatuul's arrogance—its assumption that these "insects" and "worms" posed no real threat—became its downfall. After a brutal combat that left William nearly dead and everyone bloodied, the ancient bida collapsed among the ruins, its black coils going still. The oppressive presence that filled the temple faded.

With the dragon defeated, Nadira stepped forward and dispelled the red dragon pillar (DC 22), destroying the final magical construct. As the pillar's power unraveled, Dahak's protective shield around the Fortress of Sorrow weakened to its most vulnerable state.

Before leaving the ruins, Frazzle requested that William remove the bida's head as a trophy to carry to the fortress—possibly to demoralize cultists. William complied, and they stuffed the decapitated head into a sack for later use.

For the final phase of the campaign, the party faced a critical decision: assault the Fortress of Sorrow immediately while the enemy was still reeling and unprepared, or spend ten days traveling to Akrivel to meet with the Ekujae leadership and potentially recruit additional forces. After discussion, the party decided to return to Akrivel. This would take ten days each way (twenty total), but would hopefully provide additional military support for the final assault.

The party's return to Akrivel took place over the course of ten days of travel through the jungle. When they arrived, Nketiah greeted them with the news that the Ekujae had been watching the skies and noted that no more lights flashed from the cursed pillars. The settlement bustled with activity, and the party was escorted to a grand war council with the clan's leadership: Nketiah, her father Jahsi, and the twin leaders Ose Panin and Ose Atsu.

Nketiah addressed the party with fierce gratitude: "You have given us back our eyes and our hope. We will not squander this gift." She explained that the Ekujae leadership had deliberated on their strategy for the Fortress of Sorrow assault and had identified three possible approaches, each with different risks and rewards. The DM presented two main options for how the final battle would proceed:

Option 1: The Strategic Strike — The Ekujae would provide support but not commit to a full frontal assault. Instead, they would serve as unseen operatives, creating diversions to draw away Cinderclaw guards, securing the fortress perimeter to prevent escape, providing scouting information and maps, and gifting the party with supplies and magical blessings.

Option 2: The Elite Strike Team — A smaller group of elite Ekujae warriors, potentially led by Jahsi, would join the party directly for a lightning-strike assault on the fortress, focusing on cutting out the heart of the Cinderclaw leadership while leaving lesser cultists for the Ekujae warriors to handle.

The session ended with the DM indicating that next session would be the season finale, with the party ready to decide on their preferred strategy and begin the assault on the Fortress of Sorrow. This would likely conclude Book 3: Tomorrow Must Burn and the primary arc of the Age of Ashes campaign.

Session Notes

Key events:

Party approached and fought Kimbatuul, an ancient bida dragon guarding the red pillar
Dragon attempted negotiation/temptation before combat
Intense combat with the dragon; William nearly died but held the line
Dragon defeated by combined party and NPC ally forces
Red dragon pillar destroyed by Nadira; final pillar eliminated
Party decapitated the dragon and kept its head as a trophy
Party returned to Akrivel (10-day journey)
War council with Ekujae leadership at Akrivel
DM presented final mission strategy options to players

NPCs encountered:

Kimbatuul — Ancient bida dragon; arrogant; served Dahak for centuries; killed by party
Nketiah — Ekujae leader; greeted party on return; called war council
Jahsi — Nketiah's father; present at war council
Ose Panin and Ose Atsu — Twin Ekujae clan leaders; present at war council
Renali, Chioma, Ifiok, Korag, Jemba — Allied NPCs who aided in dragon combat

Combat:

Encounter: Kimbatuul the bida dragon in ruined temple
Outcome: Party victory; dragon killed
Notable: William took heavy damage but provided crucial grapple-breaking support; Frazzle struggled with gun jamming and missed spell attacks; Korag's precision crossbow work proved critical

Party decisions:

Refused dragon's temptation offer
Chose to keep dragon head as potential trophy/demoralization tool
Decided to return to Akrivel rather than assault fortress immediately
Committed to war council and strategic planning with Ekujae leadership

Unresolved threads:

Final assault on Fortress of Sorrow still ahead
Belmazog's fate unknown
Scarlet Triad's role in the Cinderclaws' conspiracy remains partially unexplored
Hezle (kobold alchemist) still at large
Party must choose between Option 1 (Strategic Support) or Option 2 (Elite Strike Team) for assault strategy

Rewards/loot:

Wand of Widening (3rd-Rank Spell) — found at dragon pillar site
Bida's Head — decapitated dragon trophy

Rules/Technical notes:

Discussed Escape action mechanics and multiple attempts per turn with MAP penalties
Discussed Multi-Attack Penalty application to different types of attacks
Highlighted ongoing concern with high-AC enemies and spell attack rolls
Noted that Risky Reload has high jam risk against high-AC enemies

Campaign status:

All eight dragon pillars destroyed
Dahak's protective shield around Fortress of Sorrow weakened
Party prepared for final assault next session
DM indicated this will be the season finale
Eight sessions completed (2025-08-02 through 2025-09-13)