Session 13: Enter the Dragon

The heroes pressed deeper into the ruins of the Almas Jedi Temple, the air thick with the oppressive weight of the dark side. As they wound their way through the crumbling halls, a sudden roar echoed through the shadows and a hulking Nighthunter lunged from the darkness. The creature’s claws tore through the air, but with quick reflexes and coordinated strikes, the heroes brought the beast down, its lifeless body thudding heavily to the stone floor.   Their path next brought them to a chamber holding a Twi’lek prisoner, suspended within a crackling force cage. When the heroes approached, the Twi’lek bitterly told them to leave him, his spirit clearly worn thin after long captivity. Refusing to abandon him so easily, the heroes attempted to dismantle the prison. Lacking a control panel, they tried to damage the cage directly, only to find their efforts shocking the prisoner himself. Fearing further harm, they reluctantly left him behind for the time being, vowing to find another way to set him free.   Guided by SevenAy’s insight that the holocron might be located in the Archives, the heroes turned their attention toward that direction. But their path was violently interrupted when a Noghri assassination squad sprang from the shadows. The battle was sudden and brutal. Armed with ion weaponry, the Noghri cut down the heroes’ defenses with ruthless efficiency, leaving several members unconscious in moments. In the end, only Mouse and Kira remained standing against the final assassin, and though battered and desperate, they triumphed by sheer willpower and determination. Exhausted and bloodied, the heroes retreated to an unmarked room, where they managed to find a moment’s safety and rest through the night.   At dawn, with their strength returned, the heroes pressed onward to the Archives. They discovered a narrow crack within the wall, a passage that led them into the black depths of the temple. At its end stood Valin Draco, Imperial Inquisitor and sworn enemy, holding the Jedi holocron they sought. With cold confidence, Draco offered the heroes a place at his side and in the Empire, but their refusal was swift and certain. The battle that followed was ferocious—Draco wielded the Force and his blade with lethal skill, pressing the heroes to their very limits. Yet, through grit and teamwork, Z1A managed to sweep Draco off his feet and drive a blade through his chest, seemingly ending the fight.   But victory was short-lived. From the trench beyond, a massive golden dragon cloaked in writhing arcs of Force lightning erupted forth. With a deafening roar, it swallowed Draco whole and then retreated into the shadows, leaving the heroes shaken and unsure of what they had just witnessed. With the holocron finally in their possession, they returned to free the Twi’lek prisoner. Grateful but somber, he revealed himself as a Jedi Master from the Clone Wars, long in hiding after the death of his Padawan at Draco’s hands. He explained his intent to return to Ryloth to mourn in solitude, but Mouse pressed a comlink into his hands, offering him a lifeline should he ever need help again.   With their mission complete, the heroes returned to the Resurgence. Master Denia received them with solemn gratitude, taking the holocron into her care. She explained that she must meditate on its contents and unlock its secrets, hoping it would shed light on Project Sarlacc and the fates of the slaves the heroes had freed on Bespin. Though weary, the heroes knew their fight was far from over—the shadows of the Empire loomed ever larger, and the holocron might hold the key to turning the tide.