Did we win…?
Session 5 January 2025
Saffron’s rapid transformation into a young dragon leaves me both awestruck and hollow. Her newfound strength and resilience are undeniable, but a pang of sadness stirs within me for the time she—and I—will never get back. There’s no space for mourning now, though. Saffron’s fiery eyes gleam with resolve, and her powerful presence reassures me. She’s ready to fight.
Seated on her back, I notch arrow after arrow, loosing five shots toward Hallaster. Only two strike their mark—damn it. Saffron beats her wings, propelling us closer to the fray. She draws a deep breath to unleash her breath weapon, but the wild magic around us has other plans. A sudden sneeze bursts from her, and instead of flame, a layer of shimmering stoneskin forms over her. It’s a strange twist of fortune, granting her even more protection. Wild magic isn’t finished with me either—I glance down to find my hair glowing pink, and I feel as though I’m moving through molasses. This battlefield truly is a storm of chaos.
Patience casts Disintegrate, and Hallaster’s form begins to crack and splinter. Cross takes advantage of the weakening foe, teleporting closer with a misty step. Despite his reduced size, his compact form moves with remarkable strength. His strike lands with divine force, a smite channeled through raw determination, and Hallaster reels.
Nearby, Farryn hurls his Dwarven Thrower, and I watch as cracks deepen across Hallaster’s body. Blue light spills from them like an ominous glow, seeping out with increasing intensity. Then Hallaster retaliates. He draws a breath, and before I can react, lightning erupts from him in a sweeping arc. The blast tears toward me, Saffron, Cross, Farryn, and POES. I twist at the last moment, managing to divert the attack, but the others are hit head-on. Saffron growls in pain beneath me, her wings faltering for a moment before steadying.
In the chaos, I spot Jaf’ar disappearing alongside Grond. Where they’ve gone, I can’t say. His manifest mind vanishes too, leaving me uneasy. Whatever their plan is, I hope it works.
Scarecrow, undeterred, channels lightning toward Hallaster, striking him with precision. Then, with a surge of magic, he casts Dispel Magic, shrinking Hallaster yet again. My stomach sinks. I’ve seen this before. Hallaster’s body trembles as unstable energy surges through him. The cracks across his form widen, and I realize with dawning horror what’s coming. He’s going to explode.
And I’m too close.
Even as his form shrinks, Hallaster’s voice rings out, defiant and maddeningly composed. “No matter how big or small I am,” he sneers, “it’s about what you do with the power. And I’ll beat you all!”
Wild magic strikes again, and I find myself spilling some strange, slick oil—its appearance as unpredictable as everything else in this battle. Unfortunately for me, still astride Saffron, the oil ignites, sending searing flames licking at my legs. The pain is sharp and immediate, but it only fuels the adrenaline coursing through me. My body feels strange—out of sync but fast. Faster than I’ve ever been.
I channel that speed into my next move. With a quick motion, I cast Swift Quiver. My fingers blur as I draw and release, loosing two arrows in rapid succession. Both hit true, sinking into Hallaster with satisfying precision. Before I can ready another shot, though, chaos erupts again. A dense fog cloud billows out around us—from Saffron, no less. SHIT. I can’t see a damn thing. Luckily, I already fired, but we can’t stay in this haze.
“Saffron, get us out of here!” I shout, urging her forward. As we emerge from the fog, I catch sight of something utterly bewildering—Saffron has been duplicated. Another dragon flies alongside us, a perfect mirror image. Wild magic, always a double-edged sword. With both versions of Saffron, we circle Hallaster, the air crackling with tension. Saffron lashes out, her claws raking across him twice, and her jaws snapping with ferocity.
Nearby, Patience sneezes—another strange effect of the magic swirling around us—before unleashing a Disintegrate spell and a Ray of Frost at Hallaster. The damage begins to pile up. Cross seizes the opportunity, closing the distance to deliver three crushing blows. His final strike erupts in a brilliant flash of divine light, staggering Hallaster and leaving him visibly weakened.
Hallaster, however, is far from finished. With a furious expression, he calls forth a fireball, targeting me, Saffron, Cross, and Farryn. The explosion engulfs us, the heat and force rattling me as I clutch Saffron’s back. I glance toward Farryn, who looks worse for wear—his body is covered in gashes, blood staining his skin. Still, he presses on, swinging his weapon with grim determination and dealing significant damage.
Amidst the chaos, Hallaster begins weaving a rune with his hands. The air around him hums with energy, and a powerful Chain Lightning arcs out—only to fizzle as Patience counterspells it with a triumphant gesture. Hallaster’s frustration is palpable, his annoyance etched into every crack across his glowing, fractured form.
A dragon’s fiery breath scorches Hallaster, widening the cracks in his exterior. The blue light leaking from within him grows brighter and more erratic. Nearby, I catch a glimpse of Jaf’ar’s manifest mind—Manny—blinking back into existence. Scarecrow moves away, heading toward Malik, whom I haven’t seen in some time. A pang of worry stirs in me—where has Malik been? Is he okay?
Then, in a dazzling blur of light, Calyx takes action. He shines like a beacon as he channels healing energy toward POES and Farryn, revitalizing them both. Not content to stop there, Calyx moves closer to Farryn, delivering another wave of healing magic that leaves him looking steadier on his feet.
Meanwhile, POES shifts into full combat mode. His body morphs, transforming into a massive cannon. The air trembles as he fires a colossal projectile straight at Hallaster. The shot doesn’t just hit—it implodes, pulling everything toward it.
As the battlefield quakes and the pull of the implosion grips me, I cling tightly to Saffron, my eyes locked on Hallaster. The cracks spiderwebbing across his form spread further, and I can’t help but wonder—how much more can he take?
The duplicate of Saffron surges toward Hallaster, moving with uncanny determination. As the two clash, the duplicate absorbs a devastating attack meant for us. In an instant, the second Saffron vanishes in a swirl of dissipating magic. I don’t feel a thing—she wasn’t truly real—but the sacrifice was no less significant. That attack would have been catastrophic.
I glance at Farryn. He’s barely holding on, his body battered and his breath labored. Meanwhile, Hallaster’s fractured form grows worse—the cracks spiderweb deeper across his glowing surface, radiating an eerie light.
Summoning my energy, I focus on healing Farryn, patching him up just enough for him to climb onto Saffron alongside me. My arrows fly—two strike true with the sharp, precise aim I’ve honed, but one goes wide. Each hit pushes Hallaster closer to the breaking point.
Saffron, relentless as ever, attacks with tooth and claw. Her bite misses, as does one swipe of her claws, but the other lands solidly, tearing into Hallaster’s shifting form.
“TAKE COVER!” Cross bellows from nearby. His voice cuts through the chaos, but there’s little time to react. Patience fires off a Ray of Frost, his aim unerring, but it barely fazes Hallaster. Cross attempts to dispel Hallaster’s form altogether, his power reaching toward the wild magic sustaining him. But it’s useless. Hallaster’s resilience holds. A sinking realization washes over me—this might be the end of Waterdeep.
Hallaster retaliates with a legendary action, sending a bolt of lightning tearing through the battlefield. Saffron, Farryn, and I brace for impact, but miraculously, we take less damage than expected. Farryn, still pale and struggling, looks at me, urgency in his voice: “We have to get away!”
Cross and Farryn, undeterred, lash out with swift attacks, even as Hallaster continues his relentless assault. Every strike from him lands, his power overwhelming. But then, something changes. Hallaster’s eyes gleam with a prismatic, multicolored light—a terrifying display of his growing strength. His voice booms, reverberating across the battlefield: “Hytsilune!” He’s speaking to the scroll Jaf’ar is holding —his connection to it intensifying.
And then, he begins to fade. His body shifts and flickers, phasing out of our reality. “A few more moments, Jaf’ar,” he sneers, his voice dripping with malice, “and you can watch your friends DIE.”
Saffron snarls, her fury palpable. She lunges at Hallaster, but her claws swipe through empty space. Her fire breath scorches the air in a desperate attack, but it’s no use. He’s untouchable in this state. I grit my teeth in frustration as Hallaster continues to flicker, his form fully shifting into another dimension.
Jaf’ar appears in that same extradimensional space. I can see him and Grond confronting Hallaster, but they’re unreachable, beyond our grasp. Then, Jaf’ar acts. With a precise dispel, he forces Hallaster back to our plane. The result is another explosion—contained within their dimension, invisible yet devastating to those within it. When the dust settles, Hallaster is back, reduced to the same size as the rest of us.
Nearby, Scarecrow casts Revivify, a wild magic-fueled vine snaking out to drag Malik closer. I see Malik stir, brought back to life. Relief floods through me for a moment, but it’s fleeting—the asteroid above us looms ever larger, an inescapable threat.
Calyx steps forward, casting Mass Cure Wounds, spreading healing energy across the battlefield. His magic bolsters those around him, giving us just enough strength to keep going. Meanwhile, POES, in his cannon form, fires a massive plasma ray. It’s a perfect shot, but Hallaster is still flickering, intangible. The ray pierces through him harmlessly.
Then Hallaster speaks a single word. The air grows heavy, the battlefield quakes, and a wave of decay rolls over us. My body screams in pain as I feel myself withering. “SHIT,” I mutter under my breath, clinging to Saffron for support. Saffron too, is getting older, now a young dragon, but around 25 years old, instead of 6.
“Fly, Saffron!” I urge. She dashes forward with incredible speed, her wings cutting through the air. I channel what little magic I have left to heal Farryn as we swoop by. We pick up Calyx and race away, putting as much distance as we can between us and Hallaster.
Behind us, Hallaster’s voice booms again, cold and triumphant: “Let’s watch the world burn together, Jaf’ar. Let’s turn back time and watch them burn.”
The asteroid looms impossibly large now, blotting out the sky. The world feels like it’s on the brink of collapse.
And then…
Time stops.
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