The Godhands then returned to the castle to plot their next move. First they went to visit the dwarves, where the dwarves pledged to assist them in any way against the Order of the Five Moons. Toll said nothing during the entire exchange, bidding his companions to return to the castle after the meeting was done. There he revealed what his magical helmet had shown him – that the head of the Brothers of Stone, the dwarf Durdulis, was none other than Eversharr the green, who had been terrorizing the Dwarves of clan Mankathun for more than 3,000 years before Umtarathrx the White was even born! The green dragon was in fact larger than the white, and probably an order of magnitude more powerful. So now the group had revealed even another enemy amongst them. Apparently the green had been nursing the situation along so that it could have the mithril mines for its own lair. Not knowing what to do about the green yet, the Godhands placed Eversharr on the back burner and visited the thieves and the drow. Both factions pledged their support and troops for the trial that lay ahead. The drow of House Drathden informed the group that they would use their Illithid to “remove” Lord Wintley from the throne before he could cause any more harm.
With an army camped on the outside the city, the group decided to move and move fast. Lusipher was sent to enlist the aid of Anoth’Tuk. Gallandro and Toll magically traveled to the Dwarven Kingdom of Urthom to enlist the aid of the temple of Moradin. Kobort was sent to the ridges above the city to enlist the aid of the mysterious megalith. Sirrathi left the prime material plane to gather celestial aid. The rest of the Godhands would accompany Gwendon through the city to proclaim herself to be the true heir to the people and to become the true Queen of Mythrazel. Vheshema flew to find the horde of Umtarathrx. Lady Arlinde would use the keep’s gate to ferry the barbarians from the valley into the city.
Lusipher was teleported to the southern portion of the valley, and made his way to the location of the Watch Tower. What he found when he got there was a massive ruined tower. What he could see through many of the broken sections appeared to be a massive maze. Landing near the entrance, he began to call out to the minotaur. Eventually, the great beast appeared at the entrance and told Lusipher that he had been expecting him. Startled, Lusipher asked if the warrior had known about the city. Anoth’Tuk replied “No, everyone eventually comes here.” Lusipher then explained the plight of the city, which did not appear to interest the Minotaur at all. Eventually, the Minotaur agreed to help the city on the grounds that Lusipher could beat him one on one.
Lusipher agreed to a battle with weapons, and the two juggernauts squared off against one another. The minotaur toyed with Lusipher on the initial blow, striking him twice before going into a defensive posture. Lusipher then did a flurry a massive strikes – of which no being had stood against. Unfortunately, the minotaur proved to be acrobatic beyond belief as he began to twist spin and dodge most of the strikes. The minotaur then opened a case of whoop-ass on Lusipher, striking the human 10 times with his double axe – bringing Lusipher to his knees. Seeing spots as unconsciousness sought to claim him, Lusipher threw everything into a last ditch, all out offense. As the minotaur had done a massive attack before, he could not dodge all of the blows, so those that did strike nearly felled the mighty beast. When the dust settled the two opponents were both swaying, barely able to keep their feet. Snorting in approval, Anoth’Tuk threw his arm over Lusipher’s shoulder and escorted him into the ruins to his living quarters. There the minotaur drank a potion to heal his wounds. He then offered Lusipher a pint of mead, and the two toasted the quick but decisive battle before returning to the keep.
Gallandro and Toll arrived in the main temple of Moradin, startling the priest and acolytes that were present at the time. The pair sat patiently while the high priest was sought out – as the champion of Moradin had arrived! The high priest showed up, and after looking Toll over and noting the Lock of Fate around Toll’s neck and the Ring of Moradin on his finger, ushered the pair through the dwarven network of caverns to the King of the Dwarves and the council of elders. Toll then explained the circumstances of his being given the lock from his now destroyed temple, and the information that the Mercenary Company was now outside the lost city of Mythrazel. He also informed them that his group was personally going to reclaim the Mithril mines that had been lost long ago. And not only that, but that the great green dragon Eversharr was in the city of Mythrazel seeking to destroy the members of clan Fherentain that reside there.
After much deliberation, it was decided that a force of dwarven clerics and paladins would accompany the pair back to Mythrazel, as well as a dwarven tactician from the clan of Siege craft. Toll’s clan, Mankathun, which had a hereditary grudge with Eversharr, would contact their dragon slayers and send them to Mythrazel as soon as possible. Additionally, arms and armor would be provided to the group to take with them for aid in their endeavor. Afterwards, the King ushered everyone from the room but the pair. After making sure that Toll trusted Gallandro with dwarven secrets, he then told Toll that even more valuable than all the mithril in the mountains was that the lost mine also was the location of the Kyr’Saluth, the golden dwarven pillar of history. He believed that it was sealed during whatever incident caused the loss of the mine, as no one has been able to find it since then. He bade Toll luck in his endeavor, and dismissed the pair to continue their preparations.
After a bit of side-tracking with a dragon slaying sword, which the pair wisely chose to not bother with (one being a half-dragon and the other being mated to a dragon), they were introduced to the dwarven tactician and a dwarven battlerager who had hundreds of odd spheres attached to his armor. The pair then had several of their storage chambers filled with masterwork swords and shields to pass out to whatever defense force they could muster. When it was time to return, Gallandro expressed problems on teleporting himself and the 3 dwarves back to the keep. With Toll and the tactician’s permission, the battlerager invoked his armor and the pair disappeared from sight as two new spheres appeared on his armor. Apparently the entire dwarven force had undergone this transformation and was present on the dwarf himself!
With his new armor that allowed him to fly at will, Kobort searched the cliff above the city for the mysterious megalith with the blue hand print emblem. What he found was not just the solitary megalith, but also 3 other megaliths in addition to the one he was seeking. After introducing himself to the four, Kobort asked the megalith’s if they would join the cause of “the soon to be” Queen of Mythrazel, Gwendon. The lead megalith asked Gwendon’s family name, to which Kobort replied “Asticanti”. There was a chuckle from the megalith’s pilot and he pledged that the Band of the Hand would join forces with “Queen” Gwendon. The four megaliths then followed Kobort back down to the keep.
Marching with a parade of soldiers down the city streets, Gwendon began to amass a huge following of people who were very curious about the alleged ruler who had just appeared before them. Runners were sent ahead to call a gathering of noble families to meet the young Queen at the estate of Lord Wintley. When they finally reached the estate, nearly the entire city was there to see what was happening. Gwendon met privately with the noble houses and gave proof of her heritage to them. There was some dissension in the ranks but with the influence of House Drathden’s ready agreement, they agreed to have a wartime coronation of the Queen – to be renegotiated after the crisis to the city was over. With this done, the queen quickly called upon each house for a roster of those that could help defend the city to be delivered to the Keep.
Once everyone, and I mean everyone, was back at the keep a massive strategy session began to take place. The next day at noon, the emissaries of the Order of the Five Moons were to be allowed into the city to search for the lock. The group also learned that the Band of the Hand was led Gwendon’s brother in law, who was the man responsible for putting her on the airship in the first place. As they began to mull over whether to honor Lord Wintley’s agreement or not, Sirrathi returned from whatever plane of existence she had been visiting with extraordinary news – Bahamut himself, grateful for the return of his egg, would come to the cities aid for one task within reason. Elated, the tactician suggested that the plan would be this. The Queen and her entourage, including Toll and his lock, would meet the emissaries at the central gate. They would give the enemy the information that the Lock was not as powerful as the mercenary company had been led to believe, as it only turned back time for a minute. They would then send the emissary back with an ultimatum, the Order had one hour to leave the field of battle or be destroyed. Meanwhile, the rest of the forces would amass on the other side of the east and west gates to charge the battlefield if the enemy did not leave.
The next day at noon the meeting took place, with the emissary scoffing at the notion of leaving the battlefield. An hour later, with no sign of movement other than to move into full battle formation, the Godhands had their answer. Sirrathi then began a complex ritual, and storm clouds began to form over the city. From the clouds, which the enemy tried in vain to dispel, the god of dragons emerged and swooped down over the city. Divine awe overcame both forces as the dragon launched itself outwards at the enemy. Some resistance was met as several archers futilely fired mystic arrows at the massive dragon. With one intake of breath, the dragon sent a beam of blinding light arcing outward from its maw into the side of the flying citadel. The two flying shield knight megaliths that protected the citadel intercepted the blinding ray of light, only to be washed away into atoms by the ray of godlike destruction. The ray then plunged into the side of the citadel, delving more than 100 feet through steel and stone as it penetrated the Tear of Pelor at the citadel’s core. With a groaning shriek, the wounded citadel lost its magical plane of gravity and plunged to the ground below. At the same time, Lusipher activated a massive dimensional weapon of destruction that the gnome inventor had made for him over the mobile temple of Erythnul on the battlefield, destroying it and the 100+ clerics that resided with. With a mighty roar, Bahamut dimensionally shifted as he struck the falling fortress, taking a massive portion of the crippled structure with it, ensuring that the enemy could not go home the way they came.
Out from the three gates of the city of Mythrazel poured forth the three flanks of the city defenders. The left flank of the defenders was led by the entire Badger clan and numbered at 2,608 able bodies. The right flank, led by the Wolf Clan, numbered at 2,115 hastily gathered allies. The central flank, in which the Godhands led the charge, numbered at 2,094. Against them stood the spread out ranks of 2,755 hardened mercenaries – of which 412 betrayed their allies and began fighting for the defenders!
Casualties began early when both of the bridges exploded with delayed blast fireballs, obliterating most of the ranks of both Barbarian clans. This enraged the survivors even more, and clash of steel and the wail of the dying soon filled the air. Defender after Defender fell to the blows of the veteran force, but with a force of over 6,500 troops the tide of the battle soon turned. In the central portion of the battle, the megaliths cut a swath of destruction until the Band of the Hand met them and the death dealing pair of Lusipher and Anoth’Tuk. Queen Gwendon proved to be untouchable by the enemy once her devoted defender became enraged and transformed into the avatar of the slaughter god. Gallandro and Sirrathi both fell as one, pierced by the many arrows of the mercenary arcane archers. Kobort was lost in a valiant attempt to save Gwendon’s brother-in-law from death by the mercenary companies leader, Goldredd. Unfortunately, he did not succeed, but the two remaining members of the Band of the Hand eventually destroyed Goldredd.
After nearly fifteen minutes of brutal combat, the din of combat subsided, and the battle was done. Of the 6,817 defenders that took the field, 2,247 lived to fight another day. Out from the city came the Seekers of Wee Jas, to prepare the dead for burial or to be raised. The Godhands brought their fallen back to the keep to be raised from the dead the next day. The survivors of the Order of the Five Moons were given a chance to swear fealty, which they did. All of the dead were accounted for, save for three. Durdulis, who was in truth the 7,000+ year old green dragon Eversharr, was nowhere to be found. Misha and Rhelvin were also missing. At various times during the battle, Babba Yaga was seen sending killing spells at the group. Since the elf pair had sworn to destroy her, it is believed that they left the battle to hunt her.
