The Bronze Dragon

Our first stop had nothing to do with Brie’s quest at Eagle Keep. A town along our path was dealing with some kind of famine and was looking for anyone who could help them figure out what was happening to their crops. It took us the better part of two days to get there, during which we got to see a side of Claudia that rarely came out. When out adventuring, she was much more relaxed. She almost seemed like a country girl. I recalled that she used to travel with a farm boy-turned-adventurer. I felt like I could see his influence.
 
As we approached the town, we passed acres and acres of dead crops, the plants withered in the fields. I could feel the decay in the earth and it broke my heart. It only got worse when we got to the town and saw the people, starvation hollowing out their faces. Everyone we passed ask if we had any food to spare, and we were warned the none of the town’s shops were operational. I took control of the situation, asking to speak to the mayor immediately. He practically cried when he realized we were there to help. Too many adventurers had just passed through, it seemed. I asked our mages to use magic to produce food for the townsfolk. Mari and Lily helped distribute and provide other assistance to the villagers while Willow and I sat down with the mayor to gather as much information as possible. When he realized I was a priest, the first thing he did was ask me to pray over their crops. I promised to do so, but also pointed out that such prayers wouldn’t do much good unless we could determine the cause of the famine. The mayor told us that the crops started dying after a mysterious smoke came down out of the mountains nearby.
 
Lily, Willow, and Claudia accompanied me up to the mountain in search of the source of the smoke while Mari and Brie stayed behind to continue helping the townsfolk. We found the very smoke the mayor spoke of. Soon, we started to hear the horrific cries of some injured creature. We also found strange a strange red fungus growing in several places. I recognized it as the red spotted mushroom, which attaches to organic things (including people) and rot it from the inside to spread. The smoke proved to be caustic, so we covered as much as our skin as we could and put masks over our faces. Coming around a bend, we found a bronze dragon bound by wires that glowed with magic. They appeared to be draining the dragon of its essence, and the smoke was being released as a defense mechanism. I prayed to Valkyng for guidance. Through his influence, I could see that the wires were draining the dragon’s essence, pulling it underground where it seeped into the soil from beneath, killing the plants. It was only a matter of time before the corruption spread to other towns. After I conveyed this to the rest of the group, Lily rushed to cut the main wire with Willow at her heels. A started to cut one of the others. Claudia followed me. Shortly after we attacked the wires, a dark elf appeared in the distance. Willow shoot the elf with a paralyzing arrow. She and Lily rushed to where he fell, quickly disappearing underground, presumably from wherever the elf had emerged. Claudia and I continued cutting the wires, but the dragon started to thrash around and the task became too dangerous. Once again, I called to Valkyng, who granted me to the ability to calm the beast. It responded by focusing on my, bowing as if to start a fight. I projected an aura at it to convince it there was a bigger better fight nearby. Claudia continued cutting the wires. As soon as the dragon was free, it flew off in the direction of the town. Knowing that Mari and Brie could handle such a challenge, I thanked Valkyng for his aid. Before letting me go, he gave me the distinct sense that I should follow my friends. I gathered Claudia and headed for the portal underground.