Forest of Andor/Illusions are such a Drag-on
After getting their breath back, the gang proceeds onwards only to find the scorpions nest close-by. A quick search reveals the corpses of two more scorpions and one of a medium sized dragon.
The dragon's corpse is roughly copper coloured, but has various plant features. It bears the marks of the scorpion pincers and stingers and there seems to have been quite a struggle. The dragon does not appear to have been mauled, it presumably wasn't to the surviving scorpion's taste, which is more than can be said for the dead scorpions. One was bad enough, three would likely have been fatal!
Examining the dragon, Calla finds that it is curled around a seed the size of a grapefruit. The seed is far more complex looking than an ordinary seed, with liquid pulsing through semi transparent veins on the outside and giving off a vaguely acrid scent.
For some reason Jadrol thinks it might be a good idea to try to harvest the breath glands of the dragon, and horribly mutilates the corpse before coming to his senses and letting Cordon and Grel patch it back up.
Without their enhanced mounts the party make slow going through the forest and soon make camp.
As night falls, Jadrol notices that his seed has become unusually warm, and that there is a strange purple hue in the sky to the North East which everyone decides to investigate.
With Grel in the air guiding them, the party find a clearing with some obvious traps and a some guy on an axe-beak spoiling for a fight!
Cordon charges but falls through an illusion into a pit trap, Jadrol and fletcher are covered in a magical fog, and Grel is flung high into the sky!
Quickly evaluating the party as harmless to her, and smelling Russet mould, the combatant reveals itself to be an ancient Vine Dragon called Jangrillix before polymorphing into a humanoid for ease of conversation.
Jangrillix is protector of the Phoenix Fern grove, which is attended by Faerie Dragons and is filled with phoenix ferns in various states of germination. Jangrillix says that Jadrol's (who she called 'blessed-one') must be a descendent of one stolen centuries ago and that the seed is clearly almost depleted. As it is now bonded to Jadrol, she will not be able to take it back without killing it and the only hope is the waters.
This grove was previously not unknown to the villagers to the South and their strange sky spirit. Her bonding was the model for that undertaken by the colony and she assisted and provided waters for the process but it has been centuries since a delegation came with a request for some of the water needed. She presumes that she has been forgotten and that the bonding is completed without the waters these days, but she has no idea.
She witnessed the break-up of the ship as a youngster on the night of falling stars. The strangeness of this pool was created by something that fell from the sky. She arrived a few days later and the glade was already growing profusely. She investigated and on entering the waters, a transformation occurred and her copper coloured skin became infused with the vines that you can see now. It was a pleasant experience. She became guardian of the grove and brought her favourite plants there. A few years later, she first met with the colonists and helped them as best she could. The power of the pool has waned over the recent decades, such that the ferns take much longer to grow to maturity. Indeed, if the pool were functioning at its original strength, Jadrol's seed would have germinated within minutes of touching the water and would have properly bonded to him instantly. As it is, if he were to rest in there overnight it should germinate and bond.
There is a module with a door accessible just below the surface of the water. She has never successfully opened the door and did not want to damage the module to gain entry, being wise enough to know that if she broke it further she had no ability to repair it.
Before letting anyone into the module, Jangrillix says she detects taints present on two of the party and will remove them before entering the waters. Cordon, or 'Sapling' is cursed by the cloak he wears and Fletcher (Shaper) has a foulness in his voice, both of which she cures.
Entering the waters, Calla (Green Keeper) find a doorway with the not unexpected Gathlain handprint symbol which Grel (Sky Pilot) activates. A small room is reveals with another closed door which trial and error indicates is locked until the outer door is closed allowing the room to fill with air.
The inner door reveals a 40ft circular room featuring a small power unit, a teleporter, and a device labelled fertiliser control system.
Not long after, Eddie the shipboard computer detects them and starts talking and is able to explain that this was the colonists Farming Module and would've provided nutrients to optimise crop growth. A little guidance reveals that the modules four backup power cores are almost depleted (0%, 0%, 2% & 12%) but that the power Module would contain spares, as well as Coo Lant .
Unfortunately using the teleporter would likely wipe out the remaining power, and in any case he is unable to run the calculations in his current low-power mode.
It seems there is no shortcut to the power module.
