The Beginning of the End (Drow)

[Regantor]

Neit rubbed the pain out of her neck, and opened her mouth with a haggard smile; Only for it to instantly disappear again before she could start talking, as the Goblin she was smiling towards turned into a fine slush. Damn stupid trolls. What a waste. Goblins were adorable when terrified.

"...Thankse, Alsiffe..." Her voice was a pale, agitated whisper, laced with a little paranoia. "That was risky, but we woulda been screwed ife the big fella knew we were coming."

"One of you sweethearts wanna gete 'dose three worthless human slugse ready? I'm gonna have a peek aheade."

Cautiously, with her back to the pillar, Neit surveyed the path ahead. She was well aware that dealing with even a younger dragon was like dealing with a seasoned wizard. If they were going to spot it before it spotted them, they would have to be either very lucky or very tactful indeed.

The question was, which was better? Make it look like a present? An execution? Allow the humans to try their luck for authenticates' sake?...

Listen and Spot Checks;

1d20+5=18, 1d20+8=21

[Kodos]

Neit could not see anything of interest before the natural cave hit a wall and the path branched in such a manner that would require she move ahead - something not advisable without the others. That said, she also could not hear anything besides the scurrying and skittering of the usual rats, spiders, insects, and horrific offshoots thereof that were common and harmless, and - off in the distance - a faint windy sound like some sort of large, dragon shaped, creature breathing.

Wonder what that could be?

[Regantor]

Neit walked out slowly from her cover, satisfied there was no immediate danger, but still kept her eyes wide open. A multitude of strange little ditties ran through her mind, not just of fear, but of self-observant distraction. She had to fight the hilarity of the idea of Neit, that ropey drugged-up bitch, actually doing something so impossibly dangerous for a slut they barely knew.

A rat scurried up ahead, plague-ridden and dead eyed.

Perhaps it might enjoy death in her place?

Slinking out a lithe hand, she seized it's small mind easily, and ordered it to search the tunnel ahead.

SPOILER! :

Neit cast Dominate Person.

7 PP plus 2 PP for it not being a person.

[Kodos]

Neit's rat continued down the cave, eventually coming to a larger open chamber. An alcove to the left split into two branching paths, each leading who knew where, but more importantly; who cares? With it's back to a large column of unworked stone, the Red Dragon. It was awake and at attention, apparently having heard the fighting. The great beast's back nearly touched the cave ceiling, and it had a large metal collar about its neck, presumably some manner of magical device to keep it in check if it got out of line. Fortunately, it had no guards or servitors.
Unfortunately, the Dragon's hoard, assuming it was allowed to keep one, was no where to be seen. Although the rat-brain seemed to notice that the wall behind the column behind the Dragon was worked stone. Maybe they kept its hoard in there?

[Regantor]

"Drink thise." Neit held out three small corked vials before their human servants, alrough her face was still directed away, as if staring at the creature ahead clear through the solid stone. Her voice was blank, as if intentionally masking her fear from the sub-drow for some reason... "There ise ah' very large monstere aheade. But also a rathere large labyrinthe beyonde that, it woulde be quite hard to find 'an escaping human within... Harder than you're worth..."

"We neede 'ah way through."

One of them wasn't drinking.

"The potion will sap 'zeh dragon's strengthe."

"Looke at 'zeh floor. I crushede these useless thug's minds with ease. Do I look tirede?" Her head slowly rotated backwards, red eyes catching a glint of agitated light. "Go. Go and find your freedome. If you refuse, I will turn 'youe inside out here and now. If you come back, I'll find a way of not lettinge 'zhat kill youe."

He drank it alright.

Then, the three set off, cautiously.

Neit didn't bother to look at them set off at all, instead using the mind-controlled rat to watch them from a vantage point ahead...

[Kodos]

The Dragon sprang into action the moment the three slaves came into eyesight - it had no doubt smelled their approach well before it could see them.
Rearing back its head, it belched forth a gout of flame that reduced the first slave to a pile of ash, a few larger charred bones still smoking and visible in the pile. Before the other two screaming slaves could get any distance going the thing lunged forward grabbing both in its 'hands.' "This is going to hurt. Very much." It smiled as it slammed one down, pinning him under its tail while it began slowly pulling apart the other screaming Human, eating each piece as it did so.
It had finished the first Human and had just torn off the second's right arm when the poison kicked in the Dragon suddenly slumping forward, out like a light, smoke still billowing from the sleeping thing's nostrils.

Bolgaz, the mightiest of all Dragons, rolled a 1 on his Fort Save. Truly fearsome!

[Regantor]

Neit didn't react at all for a minute, believing the whole situation as too good to be true. Maybe the collar had kept it's spells in check somehow?...

Stretching out her senses, she mentally stamped out the brains of of the last human slave, who was still bleeding out. Next came the rat, who she injected a pleasant little feeling into, cutting off as many pain receptors as she could, before sending it on it's way.

"It worked." She said simply, alrough still staring straight ahead, through the solid cave wall. "Now we just have to... you know... finish cleaning up."

She didn't wait a second, marching ahead, but was at least cautious enough that she didn't run either. Every few steps, an unholy ray of greenish light burst from her disinterestedly upheld hand, continuously striking the titanic monster vaguely in the eyeball area. It was asleep, sure enough, but finishing the job was going to take quite a while indeed.

"Just remember it's not quite dead yet..."

Six ghouls approached from the chamber beyond, as they got closer...

Ah. Horde guards. She could see the glint from here.

Either way, they wern't much of a challenge for Ryyna's cronies at all, but it did agitate Neit having to concentrate on something other than the stonking great sleeping monster, which could wake up and pull off their limbs like helpless insects, if they were not fast enough.

After going through the various piles, chests, and urns that contained and constituted the Dragon's hoard, the group found 173 gold coins, and 61 silver ones. Additionally there were two potions, some sort of crystal, probably psychoactive by the look of it, and masterfully made items; a longbow, a pair of boots a pair of gauntlets, a heavy steel shield, a suit of chainmail, and a breastplate. Some, if not all, of that stuff was - of course - probably magic, but they'd need to get it identified before they could be sure. Same for whatever that crystal was.

Neit herself didn't look too much into the items, mostly because she was still busy zapping away.

The expression on her face, death rays flying out of one hand, frequently swigged whiskey bottle in the other, was enough to make one think she would have preferred fighting it awake and able.

"I wonder if selling the skull is a good idea..."

"Alrough, I suppose, It's not like we would look suspicious suddenly turning up with the one red dragon head in the whole damn city or anything... :/"

[Evil_Cake]

While everyone finished murdering poor old Bolgaz, Alsiif sat down and examined the many treasures. She had no idea what most of the stuff did, but she did find out the two potions were ones of Haste and Cure Serious Wounds.

"Sell it? We should hang it up in our new headquarters..." Alsiif walked up and tapped her foot against the dragon's face. "This makes us Dragonslayers, yeah?"

[Regantor]

"Alsiif, honey... erm, you know what's gonna happen if I run out of juice and he wakes up, righte?..." Neit spoke with a slight worried tone, alrough she was a bit too busy trying to light a cigar with one hand to look truly terrified.

"Too bad 'e wasn't kinda smaller, through. Woulda made a cool hat. Or a crown..."

"Ryyna, you're the money whore... Whate costs more, ya dragon bones or ya golde?..."

He hand was getting tired just from being held in the air, and she had to swap. Gave her some time to light that stoogie, through.

"Lolth's tits, can we just concentrate on getting this guy's bits outta 'ere?"

"I can make ya teleporty door thingie..."

"...erm... Ya know, when 'ees deade..."

"And not gonna maybe wake upe an' kille us any sec."

"So... erm..."

"Maybe 'elp pleeze? :/"

[Evil_Cake]

"ITS STILL ALIVE?!" Alsiif jumped backwards and shot a few lightning bolts at the dragon. Then, she summoned a few fiendish spiders, which skittered over and crawled around on the thing.