The party spent several months exulting in their wealthy haul from the Desolace conflict. The knights of Heironeus had honorably awarded the adventurers their fair share for their role in the defense of the fort, even though those knights now occupied the structure. The rescued and escaped heroes celebrated by buying new things and selling what they could not use.

About six months into the festivities, a note arrived from Master Gilnaeus with news regarding the creature Romona , who normally responds to the summons of Kagan but had not responded lately. Master Gilnaeus and a contingent of Pelorians were about to attempt to rescue Romona. The party mulled over this information. It would seem that a date with destiny was coming and they would either have to accept Romona without trying to defeat the great but evil dragon, or else they would have to honor the spirit of their oaths in the church of Pelor and progress to confront the dragon.

It took a while to decide that they would fight the dragon. Fortunately, a couple of new arrivals, Feris Silverbow and his follower, were found to take an interest in the party’s success. After this, the lengthier question was: how to defeat the dragon? After a long night of brainstorming, the party implemented a few of their ideas and headed back to Desolace.

It was time to rendezvous with the knights of Heironeus. The knight led a frontal assault on the dragon’s army and headquarters, but the party was to infiltrate his lair from another entrance, a secret way. The plans were set and the actions began. The party trudged across the countryside like commoners. Soon the evil dragon’s lair entrance was in sight, but it seemed to be no less than 500 feet above the ground on a cliff.

The party acted confidently and began shipping land-bound units up by means of aerial transport, Romona. At the top, they discovered a curious door

with three keyholes upon which was found the inscription “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.” Several magical explorations were made of this door to little avail, and meanwhile one of our number, Ransine, worked thievish skills upon the locks. Eventually, the group summoner, Kagan, summoned a babau whose fiendish ability to cast Dispel Magic at will proved a great boon in trying to disable the trap. When it appeared that the trap had been disabled, the party snuck through the door.

The room on the other side was a circular room with a circle of everburning torches hanging aloft above pillars. Inscribed into the pillars were images showing humans fleeing from a dragon, humans in pain from a dragon, and humans dying from a dragon. A door on the other side of the room brought hope. The party fiddled with it, but it seemed that the trap was bound to spring, and soon enough the party was scrambling through the door in a little bit of confusion. More than a little confusion. The next room was like a circular chessboard,

and depending on how the party walked, they were subjected to different effects. This led to a complete dissolution of order. Eventually some of the party made it to the other side. Shortly thereafter, the squares on the floor disappeared and the party seemed to regain its consciousness. The next door had already been opened and a greenish mist observed in the next room. Magic users set about to dispel it, and the next room showed only darkness.