The Black Sheep

For further details related to this quest, see the entries of the Shadow Dragon and particularly the Shadow Dragon Dojo.

Previous Quest: The Eye of the Beholder

Subsequent Quest:

Company members: Ash, Cait, Drumak, Indri, Iola, Leif

Final preparations
As he looked like being a long term companion, Leif Eldman had more of the story of the company explained to him, and was introduced to Bedyvire, who he then attuned to.

Skullport
Indri decided that following some of the other possible options on how to approach and face the Shadow Dragon could result in breaking contract, losing face or otherwise acting dishonourably. So he went for the direct approach, to simply issue a challenge to the Shadow Dragon. The Company travelled to Skullport and made their way through the city to the Shadow Dragon's Dojo. Two guards stood at the entrance, wearing the traditional gi, with a black surcoat and black coolie hat, and carrying a glaive. They were initially sceptical of the challenge, but Iola was resolute as Indri's herald and the Company were admitted.

Inside the Dojo, they were met by Master Lo, who Indri recognised, and who recognised Indri. He said that Indri had broken contract and had no honour. He was very disappointed in Indri, as he always had been, in how Indri was unable to see his own lack of honour. On hearing that the challenge was for the group, he was not surprised that Indri was a coward, hiding behind others. However, the challenge was accepted, and, given appropriate behaviour within the bounds of that, the hospitality of the Dojo was extended to the Company.

Travelling further into the Dojo, they entered the large main pagoda which overlooked Skullport. Ascending to the top floor, they entered a room in which stood a shimmering black void - a portal to another plane. Following Master Lo's lead, they passed through and arrived at the Shadow Dragon's main Dojo in Shadowfell.

Shadowfell
The Company arrived in the main courtyard area of the Shadowfell side of the Shadow Dragon Dojo. To the sides were four pagodas, each as large as the one in Skullport, but Master Lo approached the main pagoda which was a distance away and much larger. They were met there by Moon Li, who welcomed the Company to accept the hospitality of the Shadow Dragon. In an antechamber there were some low chairs and a stone bowl filled with water. Following a ceremonial hand washing ritual, Iola issued the challenge on behalf of Indri: a group fight, to the death of either the Shadow Dragon or Indri. If Indri won, then he would get to rule as the new Shadow Dragon; if the Shadow Dragon won then Stiltskin Ribbons would serve the Shadow Dragon for a year and a day. Due to that, Stiltskin would not be part of the combat.

The challenge was accepted and preparations began to get the arena ready and to call the brothers and Masters to attend. The Company were given 24 hours to prepare. Geisha led the Company to the rooms that had been made ready for them, then entertained them with song and dance. Other servants brought in a feast of extravagantly prepared rice, meat, vegetables and other oriental style foods, and drinks were constantly refilled, to Leif and Bedyvire's great pleasure.

Stiltskin had given the group a low percentage chance of success in the fight, but very unsure of realistically having much of a chance, Cait allowed Morgana to take control for a few hours, explaining to her how she would fight and make use of her abilities especially Divine Smite, and letting Morgana begin to get an idea of how that works, so that they could work together well if the need arose. Morgana took the opportunity of asking one of the geisha for a massage, but Leif volunteered to do that for her. Indri took himself away from them, preferring to meditate and center himself.

After a while, Leif started flirting with one of the geisha, and made use of his new charming magical wings. He was able to persuade her to divulge some very useful information. Firstly, that some of the most adept Monks knew the Death Touch - with a shout of 'dim ak', their opponents heart would explode and they would die. Even more troubling was the revelation that the Shadow Dragon would not bring the Masters to the fight, he would bring his four daughters who lived in the pagodas nearby. Finally, to top it all, the arena environment itself would grant the Shadow Dragon invulnerability to all damage while the Dragon Flames burned, and even when extinguished the Dragon statues would then animate and join their Master in the fight. Disrupting the flow of ki to these flames could extinguish them, but how that might be done was uncertain.

A moth to a Dragon flame
Intrigued by the thought of a Daughter of Light, Leif went out and visited that pagoda to see for himself. Welcomed by an elderly man, he asked to see the Lady and was subsequently introduced to the Daughter of Light. Conversing and flirting in his inimitable way, he learned that the Light and Dark daughters would potentially complement each other (rather than be opposed to each other), and that this might also be the same for the Ice and Fire daughters too. He briefly mentioned the quest the Company were on and she said that discussing that further might be something that could be done after her brother had been killed...

Yes, it seems that Indri might just be brother to the Daughters of the Shadow Dragon, and therefore the son of the Shadow Dragon himself.

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