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42: Dragon in the Deep

🎧 Podcast Link • February 6, 2026

Dragon Attack​

The session opens immediately where the previous ended—with the rebinding ritual complete, Astro resealed in the orb, and the party catching their breath on the ocean floor near Luna's skeleton. Then a shout from the ship above:

Dragon Knight: "We got a live one!"

Three grappling hooks spring from Captain Buckle's vessel, piercing an adult blue dragon circling overhead. The dragon lets out a roar that reverberates through the hollow ocean and unleashes its breath weapon—a devastating lightning strike that arcs across the ritual site.

Dexterity Saving Throw DC 19:

  • Olivia: Success (30 damage)
  • Elspeth: Success (30 damage)
  • Ohma: Success (30 damage)
  • Leliana: Success (30 damage)
  • Bru: Success (30 damage)
  • Silas: Success (evasion reduces to 0 damage)

Silas's rogue evasion allows him to completely avoid the lightning, but everyone else takes significant damage from the dragon's opening salvo.

Underwater Combat​

Olivia Mounts Up​

Olivia, ever the tactician, immediately summons Bob the Battle Buddy (her Find Steed mount) and uses his 60-foot teleportation to phase-step directly onto the dragon's back. From this elevated position, she swings her battle axe with divine fury.

Attack Results:

  • First attack: 27 (hit, 21 damage with Divine Smite)
  • Second attack: 26 (hit, 12 damage)

She attempts to use her Topple mastery to knock the dragon prone (DC 21), but the creature's massive constitution saves it from the effect.

The Dragon Dives​

The dragon, now bloodied and with knights and a paladin clinging to its back, makes a tactical decision—it dives deep into the ocean, plunging 50 feet below the water's surface.

The sudden submersion creates chaos. Two of the three St. George knights lose their grip and float back toward the surface. Only one remains, desperately stabbing at the dragon's scales.

Silas's Mobility​

Silas, ever adaptable, had been velcro-clinging to Olivia's back using his Cloak of Arachnida. As the dragon dives, he makes a split-second decision.

Athletics Check: 22 (with psychic die boost)

Silas manages to stick to the dragon itself, then immediately uses his bonus action to throw a psychic dagger at the surface, teleporting away from the underwater death trap.

Silas (via psychic phone): "I am no good in water. Good luck. Bye."

He scrambles up the side of the ship using spider climb, getting to safety while the others face the submerged threat.

Olivia's Dilemma​

Olivia, mounted on Bob 50 feet underwater, realizes this is a fight she can't win. She abandons the dragon and uses Bob's movement to swim toward the surface—but at half speed underwater, they're still dangerously deep.

Constitution Modifier: +5 (can hold breath for 5 rounds)

Bru's Engine Crisis​

Bru, having propelled himself up to the surface using his force ballista cannon, sprints below decks to the engine room. There he finds Leliana, who had used Healing Word (23 HP) to bring him back from unconsciousness after the first lightning strike.

The dragon's dive included a devastating slam into the ship's hull—targeting the engines specifically. The sound of metal grinding and water beginning to seep in echoes through the engine room.

Bru's Engine Repair:

  • Arcana Check: 30 (with bardic inspiration d8)
  • Result: Using duct tape (his artificer's tool of choice), he pulls out the massive dent in the steel underbelly and restores both engines to function

The repair causes a backfire that deals 8 bludgeoning damage to Bru, but the ship is saved.

Elspeth's Radio Management​

Elspeth, showing remarkable initiative, rushes to the wheelhouse and takes control of the engines. Captain Buckle had fled to his quarters with his crew during the attack, leaving the ship effectively unmanned.

She monitors the situation through the radio network, listening as other ships report:

Radio Chatter: "We've got a live one down south! White dragon and copper dragon engaged! Jenkins' ship is sinking—he's the last one alive. He's got mortal wounds..."

The professional dragon hunters are being decimated.

The Dragon's Thunder​

The dragon, still submerged beneath the ship, unleashes another attack—a sonic roar through the water that creates a shockwave of thunder damage.

Constitution Saving Throw DC 18:

  • Olivia (in water): Success (6 damage)
  • Bru (below decks): Failure (13 damage, knocked unconscious again)
  • Leliana (below decks): Failure (13 damage)
  • Elspeth (in wheelhouse): Success (6 damage)

Bru collapses in the engine room for the second time. Leliana, at 6 HP, barely remains standing.

The Escape​

Olivia's Healing Magic​

Breaking through to the surface, Olivia immediately casts Aid at 3rd level on Bru and Leliana, increasing their maximum HP by 10 and bringing Bru back to consciousness.

She then uses Lay on Hands on herself to recover from the lightning and thunder damage.

Elspeth Makes the Call​

Elspeth gets on the radio and delivers a status report in her best professional voice:

Elspeth: "HQ, this is Big Sinks. We've completed the ritual successfully. The dragon went underwater and attacked our boat. We're limping back with one engine damaged. Over."

HQ: "Big Sinks, what's the status of the orb?"

Elspeth: "The dragon dove underwater and hit the boat, and the orb fell into the ocean during the fighting. Over."

Deception Check: 28

HQ completely buys the story. Silas, listening through the psychic network, is impressed by the smooth lie.

Bru's Death Saves​

While unconscious in the engine room, Bru makes death saving throws with the help of Olivia's Aura of Protection (+3 to all saves):

First Save: 10 (success with aura bonus)

Before he needs a second roll, Olivia's Aid spell brings him back to consciousness.

The Dragon Retreats​

The dragon, having taken significant damage from the party and the St. George knights, makes a tactical retreat. It dives deeper into the ocean, becoming invisible, and swims away from the combat zone.

The St. George knights manage to kill a white dragon at another engagement site, providing dragon meat for the "victory picnic" they keep discussing on the radio.

Jenkins' Last Words​

Through the radio network, the party overhears the death of Jenkins, sole survivor of his ship:

Jenkins: "Leroy, this is Jenkins. I'm the last one alive on this ship. I have mortal wounds and will soon be bleeding out. Please pass along a message to my sister Tiana—sorry I'm going to miss her wedding. Tell her I won't be able to do best man duties. Over."

Leroy: "We'll remember you at the victory picnic, Jenkins. Over."

Silas turns off the radio, disgusted by the casual acceptance of casualties.

Luna's Gift​

As the ship limps away from the crash site, the party uses Victor's sending stone (connected to the one Ohma threw down to Luna's skeleton) to attempt communication with the fallen goddess.

Ohma's Athletics Throw: 28 (with Bafael's assistance)

The stone lands perfectly near Luna's skull, establishing a connection.

The party doesn't attempt immediate communication, planning to reach out once they've tracked down Victor in Greyport and retrieved his paired stone.

Return to Greyport​

The Victory Picnic​

Twelve hours later, the enlarged ship (still under the effects of Bru's Enlarge spell) arrives at Greyport harbor. A crowd of dragon knights in gleaming bone armor lines the docks, cheering the returning heroes.

The St. George knights have successfully killed two and a half dragons:

  • One white dragon (Leroy's ship)
  • One copper dragon (Leroy's ship)
  • The blue dragon (wounded but escaped—counted as half)

Preparations are underway for the promised "victory picnic," complete with roasted dragon meat.

Captain Buckle's Hat​

Captain Buckle, impressed by Elspeth's seamanship during the crisis, gifts her his prized possession—a trucker hat reading:

"I GOT CRABS AT JOE'S SHACK"

He explains the "hilarious" double meaning (crabs the food and crabs the STI) before wandering off to supervise his enlarged vessel.

The Knights' Assessment​

One of the St. George knights approaches Olivia:

Knight: "Hey, what happened with the dragon? You did the ritual, right?"

Olivia: "Yeah, we completed it successfully. But the dragon dove deep and we couldn't track it after that."

Knight: "Damn. That was going to be my promotion. Well, at least everyone's alive. That's a win."

The knight, showing his mercenary nature, immediately begins calculating how he can still advance his career despite not securing the dragon.

Silas's Disappointment​

Silas broadcasts through the psychic network:

Silas: "I've got to say, I have zero respect left for this crew of sailors and these so-called dragon hunters. They're not impressive at all."

The party reflects on how they essentially saved the ship while the "expert" dragon hunters either hid below decks or died in other encounters.

Intelligence Gathering​

The Stolen Tracking Data​

During the chaos of the arm-wrestling distraction, Bru and Elspeth successfully:

  1. Hijacked the tracking signal - Routing the real coordinates of other dragon orbs to local storage on a floppy disc
  2. Sabotaged the relay network - Sending false coordinates to all other St. George receivers
  3. Secured exclusive access - Only the party knows the true locations of the remaining dragon orbs

The data shows multiple orb locations across the region, though the party hasn't yet analyzed the specific coordinates.

Victor's Situation​

Through the sending stone, Bru contacts Victor:

Bru: "Hey Victor, buddy. We're in the neighborhood."

Victor: "What are you wearing?"

Bru: "Thirteen wires. One for every organization."

Victor reveals he's at Greyport Zoo ("I love the zoo. I've got a membership") and needs help with an "experiment" involving a dragon egg to make "the best omelette."

Bru warns him not to leave the zoo, citing danger to his life, but Victor has "dinner plans" and can't guarantee he'll stay put.

Party Planning​

Operation Cogenstein​

Bru, upon learning from Theirsander that the Iron Claws still control their old neighborhood, writes "OPERATION COGENSTEIN" at the top of a piece of paper, planning revenge.

Silas quickly covers:

Silas: "It's nothing. Bru likes to scribble. It's anti-bread propaganda. We hate gluten."

Next Steps​

The party agrees on priorities:

  1. Track down Victor - Retrieve his sending stone to communicate with Luna
  2. Analyze the tracking data - Determine locations of remaining dragon orbs
  3. Avoid St. George - Don't reveal they have the orb or the tracking data
  4. Communicate with Luna - Learn what she needs to recover
  5. Plan the Eldoran heist - Eventually steal power to revive Luna and destroy the god gun

Key Information Learned​

Dragon Combat:

  • Adult blue dragons are CR 16 threats with devastating lightning breath
  • Can deal 60+ lightning damage in a single breath weapon
  • Smart enough to use tactical underwater combat
  • Will retreat when bloodied rather than fight to death

St. George Effectiveness:

  • Most knights either hid below decks or were easily killed
  • Only successful kills came from coordinated ships with full crews
  • The "expert dragon hunters" lost entire ships to single dragons
  • Their primary income comes from dragon-bone themed bachelor party taverns

Luna's Status:

  • Weak but alive and aware
  • Can communicate through sending stones placed near her skeleton
  • The ritual site allows magical communication through the dimensional barrier

The Tracking Data:

  • Shows locations of multiple dragon orbs across the region
  • St. George and Eldoran now have false coordinates
  • Party has exclusive access to accurate information

Radio Network:

  • St. George uses open radio frequencies for all communication
  • HQ expects regular status updates
  • The "victory picnic" is apparently mandatory for returning ships

Character Moments​

Silas: His immediate decision to abandon the underwater combat ("I am no good in water") shows tactical awareness. His disgust with the St. George knights' casualties reveals his growing moral consciousness.

Bru: Knocked unconscious twice but immediately returns to fixing engines with duct tape. His 30 on the repair check saves the ship. Planning "Operation Cogenstein" shows he hasn't forgotten old grudges.

Olivia: Her opening move—summoning Bob and teleporting onto the dragon—demonstrates paladin fearlessness. Her immediate healing after surfacing shows battlefield awareness. The Aura of Protection saves Bru's life during death saves.

Elspeth: Takes control of the wheelhouse when Captain Buckle flees, monitors radio communications, and delivers a perfect deception to HQ about the "lost" orb. Earns the captain's hat.

Leliana: Her Healing Word brings Bru back from unconsciousness mid-combat, enabling him to repair the engines. Takes thunder damage but stays conscious to continue supporting.

Ohma: His perfect throw (with Bafael's assistance) places the sending stone near Luna's skull, establishing the communication link they'll need later.

Unresolved Threads​

  • Will Victor survive until the party reaches him at the zoo?
  • What will Luna reveal when they establish communication?
  • Where exactly are the other dragon orbs located?
  • When will St. George realize their tracking data was sabotaged?
  • Will the blue dragon return for revenge?
  • What happened to the rest of the dragon knights' fleet?
  • How will they execute Operation Cogenstein against the Iron Claws?
  • What does Astro (now resealed) think about nearly drowning with Silas?

Notable Quotes​

Silas: "I am no good in water. Good luck. Bye." (teleporting away from the underwater combat)

Bru: "All right, I guess it's fine." (after flipping a coin to decide whether to give blood for the ritual)

Elspeth: "HQ, this is Big Sinks. The orb fell into the ocean during the fighting. Over." (Deception 28)

Knight: "That was going to be my promotion. Well, at least everyone's alive." (casually dismissing Jenkins' death)

Silas: "I've got zero respect left for this crew of sailors and these so-called dragon hunters."

Victor: "What are you wearing?"

Captain Buckle: "It's my favorite hat because it's funny—you can get crabs at Joe's Shack, but also there's a venereal disease called crabs. My friend got it once. Me too."

The session ends with the party safely returned to Greyport, possessing both the resealed dragon orb and exclusive tracking data on the remaining orbs—but with Victor in potential danger, Luna waiting for contact, and the complex web of allegiances more tangled than ever. The "expert" dragon hunters proved far less competent than advertised, leaving the party to wonder how they've survived this long, and whether their mercenary nature might become a problem when the party's true agenda becomes clear.