zargul-encounter-raw.txt

As soon as I step into the chamber I detect a strong presence. I see a huge creature standing in front of me. It has wings, it's body is covered with black scales and the hide has gashes down to bone in some places. It is the black dragon 'Zargul' who looks exactly like in the previous vision.

I take my hood of and call its name telepathically "Zargul."
Its eyes widen and it smiles.
I notice that its mouth is full of sharp teeth.
"Arktinu, welcome back to my domain." Zargul says.
It then proceeds to explain.
"This place used to be a library, but now it is just a prison for creatures such as yourself. You have come to retrieve me, correct?"
"Yes as I believe we can help each other with the matter." I respond.
"Indeed, I am glad to hear it. Come here."
I follow them and Zargul starts flying towards the ceiling. We reach a giant space and it is filled with thousands of books. It lands on one of the bookcases which is made out of crystal.
It opens one of the books and shows me a map of the world.
"I hope you can understand this language." it explains in Draconic and continues "I have been trapped here for many years. My mind was feebled and I have been imprisoned in this place."
I start thinking about the possibility to free Zargul. It's not easy to break the enchantment and the fact that they are a dragon makes it even harder.
"Perhaps if I am freed, I could provide assistance in freeing you."
I reply "You said that you are unable to leave this realm. Where do you originate. I find a lot of similarities in you compared to some entities I have met."
Zargul tells "I come from the higher plane Syntropos."
"As I figured. And you did say you were aware of my situation. We both share a common goal, returning to Syntropos." I conclude.
Zargul replies "It sounds that collateral is not strictly necessary. We can both benefit from each other. But first, you must free me from this prison."
I say "You said that your body cannot survive outside of the library. I can see you are covered in scars. How could this be dispelled?"
"There are ways to heal these injuries, but they require magic. Unfortunately for me, I am unable to use any magic." Zargul replies.
I say "The same curse must be stunting your magical abilities. But I can still receive ping of your identity, the same one you share in Syntropos."
I pause before I ask "How did you end up in this realm from Syntropos?"
Zargul replies "I was searching through the worlds when I found this realm. I tried to explore this world but for some reason I was suddenly stuck here and my powers diminished, that happened about five thousand years ago."
I am surprised how long this dragon has been in this real. Makes me wonder if will take me the same time or longer to reach Syntropos.
Zargul continues "But more recently, some centuries ago, I was banished into this library and my powers were even further hindered."
I ask "How did you end up in a body of a black dragon?"
Zargul responds "I had no choice. It was either become a black dragon or perish."
This sounds a lot like how I ended up in this realm.
I reply "I was too trapped in this world, albeit it has been merely three months since my arrival. I fought a higher being which forced me into this sliver of a three-dimensional world that we are now."
Zargul nods and asks "So you know what I am talking about?"
I nod and continue "Yes, and I am surprised you haven't been able to escape this realm in five thousand years."
Zargul replies "Well, this is my second attempt to leave this realm. I was hoping that you would be able to assist me."
I ask "Who trapped you in this library a few centuries ago like you mentioned? I heard you are supposedly a dangerous entity, but you are more akin to myself."
"That is true. The one who trapped me was Obadiah." Zargul continues "Obadiah is the arch demon. It is known to be one of the more powerful beings and a member of Archonate."
"So you see why I was hesitant to co-operate with you. As you said, many wishes to use powers like yours for their own good if you are at their mercy, and there's never guarantee they would fulfill your part of the deal." I recite and follows with "But why did Obadiah choose this library built by the ones living in this realm."
"It is obsessed with destroying the gods and Obadiah believes that it can destroy all existence by unleashing its power. There are many ways to accomplish this, one way is by using the artefacts that exist within this realm."
Zargul describres the artefact in detail via mental concepts "The object that binds me to this library is shaped like a torus. You must make it inert so I may be freed."

I respond still in Draconic "Obadiah must have seen you as a threat. I care not much about the integrity of this realm, Syntropos would be too vast to destroy even for Obadiah, this realm is no more than a grain of sand as you must already know. But we are at the mercy of this world for the time being until we find way back to Syntropos."
Zargul replies "True, but the main reason why Obadiah chose this library is because this is the only location where a specific artefact can be found. If you wish to free me, you need to find this artefact and dispel it."
I reply "This catacomb is vast and not free of dangers. There might be some looking for me attempting to release you. I must recover my spells which takes some time."
"I understand. However, I will not be able to do anything without your help. Please help me find the artefact." Zargul recites.
I barely can see the entire silhouette of Zargul, it appears to be smaller than the black dragon I encountered in Kelgashol with Vereis. But Zargul is still to big to traverse the smaller corridors.
Zargul continues "The artefact that holds me bound to this catacomb is on the middle floors of the library above us. I believe it is somewhere around here."
I tell him "I will destroy the bond once I have recovered and readied my spells which will take four to six hours."
Zargul replies "Thank you Arktinu. I will await you."

During my rest I keep eye on the entrance. After some hours to regain my magical abilities.
I start heading towards the middle floors. Each floor is full of books and shelves. It is difficult to navigate through this maze of books. I eventually stumble upon a staircase that leads to another level, there doesn't seem to be any immediate dangers so I cast Light to see slightly better despite of my night vision. I look around and notice that the stairs lead to an empty area which I climb up.

At the top I spot something resembling a gate made out of metal. I open it and enter. The room is spacious and illuminated with warm light.
Once I think I am in the roughly on the middle floors, I cast locate object. Although I have never seen this object, Zargul explained it in detail. I attempt to discern the location of the object. I feel the presence of someone nearby so I hide.
I hear footsteps coming closer. The person approaches and stops next to me. The person whispers "Is anyone there?"
I remain hiding still, the figure must have heard me casting the locate object spell but I seem to be otherwise unnoticed.
As the person is completely unaware of me, I start moving towards the second room. Once I reach the door I turn the knob and inside I find nothing but darkness. I walk deeper into the room and try to listen for signs of movement.
After some walking I find a faint glow. I approach the source and start to examine it. I start reading the inscription engraved on the wall.
"These writings are composed by the gods and goddesses of the realm. They are a reminder of their greatness and power. This shrine was made to honor them."

I realize that this is the central chamber of the library where I can sense the source of the torus shaped artefact.
Before entering the room I cast invisibility on myself as I have seen multiple beings around here.
I step into the room and notice multiple doors leading other rooms. There are also several statues surrounding the room.
I start examining the statue closest to me which hopefully aren't animated unlike the ones I encountered before. I approach the source of the locate object spell which seems to be a slight shimmer. I focus my attention on it and begin to concentrate.
I slowly move closer to the source of the torus, it feels like the air is becoming thicker. I stop right before I hear creaking sound and at that very moment I realize I should have investigated for traps before approaching. I am hit by a wave of pain and paralysis. I fall unconscious.
I wake up later lying in a dark room. My arms are restrained behind my back. I feel soreness in my body but not enough damage to be fatal. I can't see anything. I can only hear breathing and some rustling noises.

I hear Arakhan's voice says "You're awake."
I respond "That was foolish of me not checking for traps." Even after these three months, I am not used to the fact that observing isn't effortless due to my reduced perception unlike in Syntropos.
Arakhan replies "You can't be serious about releasing that monstrosity Zargul."
While having this conversation I attempt to unbound my arms.
I exclaim "You don't realize the true nature of Zargul and how useful they could be getting me back to Syntropos."
Arakhan responds "Zargul is an evil being that has been trapped in this realm. By freeing him you will only bring harm."
"I have little care about your realm if it means that I can return to Syntropos."
Arakhan asks "What makes you think that Zargul can be trusted?"
"I am akin to Zargul. In fact I have the exact same nature as it whether you liked it or not."
Arakhan eyes spark as he realizes that I am not any different from Zargul. I can feel his rage building up.
As I manage to get my hands untied and cast shatter at him.
Arakhan yells "NO!" and starts charging at me. Before he regains is stance I cast haste on myself. I then try to run away from Arakhan.
He grabs me before I can slip out of his grasp. His grip is incredibly strong and firm. He tries to throw me down and I lose my balance.
On the ground I cast magic missile at him and stab with my dagge but the dagger misses as I am grappled.
Arakhan screams in agony.
I attempt to release from his grappled and he barely manages to keep me in place. He casts lightning bolt which hits me true and I am barely holding up.

I manage to break Arakhan's grapple and bolt from his grasp as I am still affected by haste so it should be easy to escape from Arakhan. I am unsure where I am exactly in relation to the torus I saw, but as I am running I attempt to look for familiar corridors.
I eventually find a corridor of similar dimensions to the one I entered. I proceed further down it. On the side of the hallway is a large door. I open it and the torus is still in place.
Unlike previously, this time I look for any potential traps before I approach the container where the torus lies.
I detect a trap which caused me to become paralyzed but it appears to be the only one. I pull out lock pick to open up the glass container but it is too complex for me.
I must act quickly before Arakhan returns so I attempt to pry the container open with my dagger.
It doesn't budge. I try to use brute force to push it open but it is too heavy. I try to smash it open with my fist but it is too thick.
I cast magic missiles at the glass
The first bolt cracks the glass and the second one sends the torus flying 20 meters from me. I have been spending so long here that I can feel haste fading really soon.

I hear Arakhan rushing through the door yelling "

Arktinu! Where are you? I will have your head for this!"
I start running towards the torus which I saw flying. I barely was able to see the the torus and grab it.
Arakhan catches up to me and throws me against the wall. I land on my stomach with pain radiating throughout my body.
On the ground I am still holding on the torus artefact that bind Zargul to this place. Before the haste fades I cast dispel magic on it.

The artifact vanishes. I see Arakhan standing over me with dagger stabs me.
By some miracle I am still conscious by a thread, but if I am hit even one more time it's all up to Zargul.
The library starts shaking like it was an earthquake.
Arakhan shouts "This is the end of your life Arktinu." He raises his knife high above his head but his stance is thrown off as the library shakes one more time violently.

I have no idea what Zargul is up to or if this triggered something else.
I shout to Arakhan "You better get out, it's too late! Zargul is already free and they are heading this way."
Arakhan yells back "I won't leave without you!"
Arakhan attempts to grab me but I slip away and I cast longstrider on me which allows me to go a bit faster.
I run past Arakhan who is still trying to catch me. I cast Toll the Dead on him before I exit the entrance. I hear him scream in agony.
I hear footsteps coming close to me. I recognize them to be Zargul's and I start running towards the source. There's also a teleportation circle nearby which I hope Zargul knows how to use.

When I turn around the corner I can see the large form of Zargul just barely fitting through the doorways.
I telepathically say to Zargul "A dragonborn Arakhan is still trailing me, do you have any energy left in you?"
Zargul was just moments before released from the feebling effects of the torus and seems disoriented. I can tell that they are still exhausted from being trapped.
Zargul replies "Yes, I have enough. Thank you for freeing me."
I reply "We need to get out of here."
Arakhan appears behind the corner and sees Zargul, the towering black dragon right next to me. This corridor must be 5 meters tall and there's not much to spare as Zargul stands up from crawl.

Arakhan is surprised by the sight.
Zargul roars his breath acid attack at Arakhan. The dragonborn takes the brunt of the blast and burns badly.
I point towards the other pathway for Zargul and say in Draconic "There's a teleportation circle not far from here on the same floor."
Zargul nods and says "I know."
I follow him down the hallway. We encounter many doors but this one opens into a room. Inside we find two bookshelves filled with scrolls, too bad I never got to search these in depth.

Arakhan is nowhere to be seen so at least there's no immediate rush.
Zargul looks to be grabbing scrolls from very particular shelves like they know exactly which ones Zargul grabs and they look tiny in its hands.
During this I just grab some random scrolls without looking at them.
I ask Zargul "What scrolls are you looking for?"
Zargul replies "Now when I am able to use magic again these will be especially useful. Additionally the teleportation circles require certain scrolls, but I lack any further knowledge so our destination will be completely unknown. I am only certain that it won't be Syntropos."
Zargul leaves this room, back to the teleportation circle and I follow suit.

Arakhan has dragged himself on the opposite side of this room but doesn't seem to be capable of moving.
We enter the teleportation circle and despite of it being relatively large, Zargul just barely fits inside of its radius.
I try to keep my posture even though my body is battered.
Zargul opens up a scroll which appears to grow in size as Zargul opens the scroll and activates the circle.
Arakhan is injured and clearly in pain. With angered voice he is able to shout at me "You first plead for my help, then you doomed my home, the material plane, and now you leave me die."
I stare at Arakhan with empty eye sockets of my reptilian skull. I am unmoved and show no response as I lack the empathy to care.
The edges of the circle start to light up and world distorts. Right before the sight of Arakhan fades, I am struck by a bolt which pierces through my back and I collapse on my knee. My vision and senses go black as I slump right next to Zargul.

I regain consciousness but I don't know how long it has been. I view my surroundings, we are still not outdoors of the material plane. Zargul is still unconscious but not dead as I sense its conceptual signature. It is possible it was too much strain for him leaving the library so suddenly. Even when the curse was released, there might be lingering effects after being trapped in that catacomb for centuries. I am not in any better shape myself after being struck by Arakhan's bolt.
My arm is numb and my legs give up but I still have the dagger in my hand which I sheat. I try to move but it is difficult that I may just remain lying here to recover.
Even with my dark vision, I only see ten meters ahead of me. I am still unsure where we teleported but we are inside of something as there's no sky. I wonder if this is another dimension.

I manage to stand up and glance around to see more of the same walls with no windows. I feel dizzy from the ordeal and stumble forward until I realize that I am walking backwards. I stop and I notice that I have traveled a significant distance down the hallway. I decide to walk forwards and I'm surprised by how fast I am able to move, this could be a demi-plane. There doesn't seem to be any immediate danger so I get back where Zargul is and rest to passively regenerate my body with magic but this is a slow process which takes six to eight hours.
I look up at the ceiling and see that there are numerous holes on the walls and the floor is made out of stone slabs. I am starting to feel tired and I lean against the wall. I try to rest.

Eventually Zargul awakens from his sleep. This place is still too small for Zathul to spread his wings entirely.
Zargul looks around and notices me. He asks "Where are we?"
I reply "It was the teleportation, you said we would end up in a random place. This appears to be some demi-plane as its rules differ from the material world."
Zargul replies "I suppose that is true. Is there anything else you can tell me about this place?"
I respond "None, I have been trying to recover from the previous encounter. I am mostly fine now. I notice that you couldn't regenerate when you were under the torus bond in the library."
Zargul recites "That is correct, the torus is a powerful curse against construct like creatures like us."
I inquire "Have you always taken a form of a black dragon during the millennia you have spent in these realms?"
Zargul responds "No, I take on various forms when I wish to blend in with other races. But I prefer to stay as a black dragon."
I probe further "Why?"
Zargul replies "I enjoy the feeling of power that comes with being a black dragon. I am also proud of my heritage as I am descended from a family of dragons. I am also fond of the fact that being a black dragon allows me to sneak into places normally closed off to such races."
I think to myself that Zargul must have been away from Syntropos for so long that this three dimensional realm has become much part of his identity. This could very well end up being my fate.
I say "I have yet another question if you don't mind. Do you know why Arakhan was against releasing you, even though you were trapped previously by entirely different entity?"
Zargul answers "He is an arrogant fool who thinks he knows everything. He did not want to release me because he feared what I might do being a black dragon."
I gather that Zargul must have mythical status in history, being trapped in the library for centuries.

We spend some more hours recovering, during this time I explain my side of the story in more detail. Zargul is unable to fully recover in this short period.

After this we start to figure out how to get out of this demi-plane.
Moving is disorienting at first. It is like the rooms move the opposite direction as I walk forwards. Somehow Zargul remains few meters behind me at all times, even though he is not walking.
With only a few extra steps, I flinch as it looked like the back wall was going to slam on my face but it stops just centimeters from my snout.
We are facing a featureless wall disappearing in the pitch black horizon in all directions.
I look behind me and Zargul is still there, like I never moved. I ask him "Can you decipher what is this all about?"
Zargul replies "This is a boundary between the material plane and a demi-plane. This is used to traverse between locations determined by the caster."
He glances at the wall seeing nothing in particular and resumes "As we arrived here at the exact same time, we are seeing the same instance of the demi-plane."
Zargul takes few side steps and the wall scrolls past as into the opposite direction at rapid speed. As Zargul stops, there's his sized doorway.
Zargul enters the portal and disappears. I follow suit and the door slams shut behind me.

Before I even see the new surroundings I hear the sound of metal scraping against stone followed by the sounds of someone screaming. I turn to the source and see Zargul standing in front of me blood dripping from its claws.
How long did it take me to go through the portal?

It takes me a while to realize where I am, I look at the blood trail leading to the center of the yard where there lies remains of a man, whose head severed cleanly from his neck. I can only assume that the man attempted to attack Zargul which didn't end up well. This is definitely the material plane.
For once I can see the entirety Zargul and how massive its wingspan really is.
Zargul turns to me and says "You have finally arrived, I was waiting for you. This was an unfortunate location to be teleported."
I respond "Do you have a plan what to do next?"
Zargul replies "The only thing I can think of is to fly." and he gestures for me to grab on its back.

I start running towards him with arms extended and I latch onto Zargul's broad back and he starts flying upwards.
From close up I can see many unhealed wounds on Zargul, some of which reach down to bone but it doesn't seem to hinder him too much.
As we get higher I can see a huge city in the distance but the scenery doesn't look familiar.
There are mountains in the background that I never saw neither in Kelgashol nor Kothor.
I ask Zargul "Where is this place?"
Zargul replies "This is the city of Ythall. The capital of the kingdom of Einzelmorda. It is located in the eastern reaches of the world."
I haven't heard or read about either of these locations. Zargul has millennia more knowledge about this realm than I do. Time here holds much more meaning than in Syntropos.
I follow up with "Where did you reside prior to your imprisonment by Obadiah?"
Zargul responds "That's where we are headed now. We are traveling eastwards."

While I have traveled on an eagle back before, Zargul flies significantly higher and faster with longer glide time.
As time goes on, roads and houses become much sparser below us. The last road narrows and eventually disappears in the canopy.
Eventually Zargul descents into denser air and the light frost that had formed on my skin and clothes start melting.
There's not a single landmark or openings that I could see. There's spruce as far down to the horizon.

Zargul rapidly deaccelerates right above the trees. I could was just loosely latched on Zargul's back that as I lose my grip, the momentum carries me past Zargul and I smack into a tree almost horizontally at higher speed than I anticipated. I may have cracked my shoulder.
I start falling from top of the tree, until I reorient myself enough to cast feather fall spell. I am dazed from the impact and land softly with what is left of my dignity.
After the 'graceful' landing, I snap my shoulder back in place and start heading towards the rustling of branches caused by Zargul entering through the canopy.

From above I couldn't see anything, but up close I notice that this dense forest has overgrown on top of some structure. The nature has taken completely over without leaving a single opening to the canopy. Looks like this location hasn't been touched since Zargul was trapped in the library.
Zargul lands on a platform as I push through the foliage.
Zargul turns to me and says "Welcome to the hold of mine, or at least what is left of it."
What happens next?"
Zargul replies "I am unable to recover even though I am free. My magic is limited and my endurance runs out quickly. Obadiah's curse continues to linger within me. I am vulnerable in this weakened state."
I ask "Do you know how to proceed from here?"

Zargul approaches an entrance that doesn't seem to lead anywhere. It seems like he couldn't possibly fit inside the stone chiseled frame.
As Zargul passes some threshold his body disappears little by little until I can only see the outdoor alcove.
I walk towards this and put my hand through and it is clearly an illusion and I pass through.
I can see a large room that lights up. I don't see any light sources but this place is lit very uniformly, leaving only few faint shadows from the various objects and features carved out of stone. This place looks to be ransacked and somewhat lived, but it is unclear how long time ago.

Zargul stands right front of me and has no difficulty fitting in this large hall. Zargul walks forwards slowly as I observe.