We end up outside the south gate of the City of Warmth.  I don’t remember much of the city as Ronyn and I were in a caged wagon when we came through.  There is a road of dead bodies leading into the city – most look to be humanoid rather than the dragonborn.  In front of us are a group of weary looking men and one of them with dented plate armor steps forward.  “Heroes, we have been waiting for you. We have cleared a path to the catacombs that will lead to Onipegro. My name is General Arond and I will lead you to the entrance.”

“We are spent,” Oberon says.  “We just fought in one battle and need to rest before we can go to the catacombs.”

“There is no time,” the General says.  “We don’t know how much longer we will be able to hold the southern district.”

“Maybe I can help.” An old, disheveled wizard, and I don’t think he was disheveled due to the battle, I just think he looks that way.  “Hi, I’m a wizard, Belzabubb from Foogleberg and it you all sit around this candle and light it for 10 minutes you will feel completely rested. 

Scorch heard of these wonderous candles and we lean against the charred walls of the City of Warmth and light our candle.  Belzabubb tells us that it has four uses altogether, and I bet my life we will need to use all four before the day is out.

Scorch tucks the candle of rest away and we follow the General into the body littered streets.  Inside the city walls we see more dragonborn amongst the dead, but still so many of the General’s armies.  We see pockets of fighting still going on, but for the most part we head to the ruins of a cathedral in the distance.  We hear our names being called out but some of the fighters as word of our coming has spread through the city.  There is a part of me that is proud of coming back and proud of all that we have done for this land, but there is another part of me that just wants to run as far away as possible from this Hells Furnace hell hole and never look back.

Apparently, the General’s army isn’t the only one to hear of our arrival as the sky darkens a green and black dragon fly toward us.  Another dragon, a blue wipes out most of the guard fighting around the ruins of the cathedral before taking to the air and moving toward us.  There is not just one dragon – but three dragons!  Yes, I just want to run far far away.

The general’s men are taken out in the first seconds of the battle as the green breathes a poison cloud over us.  The general falls when the black sprays him with acid.  And to add to the joy of three dragons, the black and green are both carrying dragonborn – three fighters and a wizard.  I did not like our odds, especially as Pinroy ran and hid in one of the burned-out buildings. I can’t blame him, the green was especially scary. Scorch lit up the night. Oberon and I do what we do best, hack away, while Pinroy calls out to us to come to him as his goddess will protect us.  But the true hero of this fight was Chillax.  He disappeared early in the fight, but his magic is all around us. He calls out a hideous word and two of the dragonborn fall.  He kills the wizard next and then says something to the scarred black dragon, apparently in his language, and that dragon just hightailed it out of the city.  While all of us were scrambling toward Pinroy, Chillax takes down the green with his magic. The blue decides he has enough and flies back the way he came. Grimgold would have been proud of his apprentice.

Things are going from bad to worse. Dragonborn startrunning the from west yelling the orcs have broken through the west Gate. We hear the dreaded chanting of “Sun Lich Elite! Sun Lich Elite” to the east as the Sun Lich’s army of dead march forth.  From above portals begin to open and demons rainl from the sky …Chaos would be here soon enough.  We have to get to the catacombs – the City of Warmth was going to fall and we needed to destroy the staff before it does.

Without the general we aren’t sure where to look.  I see in the distance the knight atop the massive rhino heading our way and tell the boys I’ll be back.  I easily dodged the fighting factions, and the knight yells out “Heros!” when he sees me.  We don’t have time for small talk.  “Where’s the entrance to the catacombs.” 

“There in the ruins of the cathedral.  We’ll hold the line as line as we can.”

“Right – we’ll be there soon.”

I rush back to the boys as demons began to land.  “Move,” I yell.  “To the cathedral!”  Oberon and I try to hold off the Sun Lich Elite as Pinroy and Scorch made their way through the hordes.  The body of the dead dragonborn wizard floats by being pelted by arrows. I figured Chillax is making his way to the cathedral.

With all our enemies surrounding us the ruins seem miles away.  I am able to dodge most of the attacks, but Oberon and Scorch are getting pelted.  Suddenly I see Pinroy run by laughing – “catch me if you can”.  Poor Pinroy, he has lost what little mind he had, but then I hear him beside me whisper, “I’m here.” Sneaky little lizard – he created a decoy! The majority of the Sun Lich elite run after the giggling fake Pinroy. 

We bolt.  Pinroy calls Mathis and we fly, run and skitter to the catacombs.  We hear the great death bellow of the rhino as the knight and him fall to the hoards.  Three Adventurer Guild members are waiting for us at the entrance saying they will be our guides.  There is not time for introductions, we drop through the hole.