Blue is High is summoned to the Ruby Palace by Cometh to pay an overdue tax bill. After a tense moment, we are sent to kill the Copper Dragon to return the Egg of Bahamet to Winterhaven. A completion will result in the tax bill being forgiven. We were given a scroll to be used only "when all else is darkness" or in our hour of greatest need. We are sent to the Lair of the Dragon, and are told that we must pass through roaring mouth of the beast.
The first battle is against 3 orcs. There was a 4th orc but he was banished to Pluto by the Wizard Trixie (the cheat). The new tank, Eironson, is critically hit twice, and has 7 hit points left before the orc attacking him is killed by the Hammer and Anvil attack. We roll a dead orc into the ring of stones, nothing happens.
Eironson imbues several weapons with a power and attack bonus. The bard gets a one time +4 bonus.
We find a waterfall, and go through it to find Clandank being attacked by an orc. Clandank is down to 4 HP before the orc is killed.
A perception check shows a pile of glittering loot, and what looks like the dragon egg we are searching for. After a perception check, our group is hit by an acid attack. A copper dragon attacks!
Rhadhar jumps onto the dragon's back. Friar Jim can't seem to hit anything. Clandank rolls a natural 20 using his Gorilla Gloves. The dragon is prone, but we can't take it out before it stands up. Another acid attack hits 3 of us for half damage. Friar Jim finally gets the Beacon of Hope to work, creating an area of healing around himself. The Copper Dragon flies up into the air, hovering and waiting.
BoJangles, hanging behind the group, rolls his vagabond die, and lightning comes out of nowhere to strike the dragon. Blue is High is getting tired with continued attacks on the dragon with don't seem to be making much of an impact, other than several ongoing damage. Fatigue leads to missed attacks, but Bojangles allows us to try again, with positive results. The dragon attacks with acid again, and then again, rendering Friar Jim and Clandank close to unconsciousness. Eironson hits the copper dragon while it is hovering, and it falls dead to the ground.
Rhadhar carves 31 scales from the dragon to sell. The dragon's horde contains 2,750 gold, 8473 silver, 17,300 copper. A scroll comes out of the dragon, and we realize that the dragon was good, and we did Cometh's dirty work for him.
It seems that this is our darkest hour, so we open the scroll given to us, and we use it on the copper dragon, and resurrect it. Bojangles informs the dragon that it owes Blue is High a Wookie Life Debt. The dragon is impressed, and offers them a ride to attack Cometh. Then he notices that his scales are gone.
We fly to Winterhaven, to confront Cometh in the Ruby Palace. sergeant Arack turns on Cometh. Cometh offers Rhadhar the opportunity to join him, but Rhadhar backstabs him instead. The dragon takes a bite of Cometh, and Eironson stabs him. Cometh fights back. Friar Jim misses, and Bojangles does too. Sargeant Arack hits his former boss. Rhadhar twists the knife, causing a black tear to slowly fall down Cometh's cheek. The dragon bites again, and Cometh is surrounded by Blue is High. Cometh tries to entice Rhadhar to join him again, and nearly kills him. He rubs the dark tear against Rhadhar, killing him. Friar Jim strikes Cometh, and offers a saving throw to Rhadhar, who does not save. The bard misses, but Clandank tries for the coup de grat. His horned helm hits Cometh, killing him while still in an embrace with Rhadhar. Rhadhar manages to keep from slipping into death. We quickly heal him.
We find the tax bill, for 680,900 gold. Somehow the bill is lost forever, and as the dragon flies away, he says, "that is how you act as a paragonic tier."
