One by one, the party goes to each of the remaining statues to acquire the keys that lie within. Fyn casts spells from the appropriate schools of magic and Krask scrambles up the statues to snag the keys from their mouths.
With each key that is taken, the temperature drops and the wind picks up. Eventually, snow begins to fall. By the time the seventh key is summoned, there is a full-fledged blizzard assaulting the mountainside. Fobias understands that this could potentially be a natural phenomenon, but it is unlikely.
A voice carries across the winds, addressing the party:
Thank you for gathering all of the keys, a feat I simply couldn’t muster. This place is sacred and few have come so willingly to its bosom, and none have arrived with such confidence as yourselves.
To that, I would enact a custom of your people, and raise a glass. I’ve been watching you now, as you successfully unearthed one key, and another, and another. And in doing so, I realized something quite extraordinary. You see, you may not realize it, but we are all in the presence of a famous celebrity.
You, kobold, are Krask, the Deserter. Your name has circulated amongst our kind, for your head is worth a considerable sum. When I first heard of it, I had to know the story. So I went to the source, to hear it firsthand.
Brindrisdrin had nothing but unkind things to say about you, little kobold. Which is unfortunate for you, but thrice as fortuitous for me. Not only can I collect the seven keys to the Runeforge, but I can collect the ransom befitting a true king of the dragons.
For those I had yet to convince of my might and power, there would be no more doubt. All for bringing in a tiny kobold, on ice.
Suddenly a stream of snow, wind, and ice shards erupts, hitting the party with tremendous force, as the form of an ancient white dragon emerges from the blizzard. ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!
The blizzard begins to rage as the party suddenly finds their movement and vision impeded by the swirling ice. They work against the snow to get out of the area and get eyes on the dragon.
Fyn manages to get behind one of the statues and conjures up a fire elemental, hoping that the heat will get through the dragon’s natural defenses. Unfortunately, the dragon must have cast a resistance spell, making the elemental mostly useless.
Fobias and Barnaby manage to escape the icy surface, but they’re instantly hit with another blast of dragon’s breath. It’s absolutely brutal; Fobias falls unconscious before his orc ferocity kicks in. With a last ditch effort, Fobias casts a cure light wounds spell on himself before collapsing.
Trace identifies the gravity of the situation and the party coordinates their efforts to get out of there. Meanwhile, Krask fires some arrows that do little against the dragon’s natural armor. Fyn summons an angelic figure, which also seems to have trouble getting her shots to land.
Finally, Trace gets to Fobias’ side and gets him back to a conscious state. Barnaby drops his invisibility and squares off against the enormous foe, buying time for his allies to group together for a teleport.
As Fyn rushes through the snow, he casts one more spell at the dragon, Arkhryst. It’s a tricky bit of magic, but it works perfectly.
BALEFUL POLYMORPH.
The dragon roars out his name as his wings contract and his scales coalesce into a hardened shell. Freezemaw, the terror of the Shoanti, is reduced to a the form of a turtle.
Are there other dragons also hunting down Krask? How much further is it to the Runeforge? Can turtles survive in near-arctic environments?