Chapter 22: Preparation for a Dragon Hunt, and an Island of Heretics.

19/6/1 070. Sir Zacharias, Adan and myself had somewhat different priorities, and so we separated for the next few days.

Sir de la Grande Fond was frighteningly enthusiastic about immediate military action, and backed Sir Zacharias with several knights.
This, and the 1 000 SP that his father gave him, allowed Sir Zacharias to start preparing his expedition.

His other problem was how Baron Richelieu would react. Valon is largely feudal, but land holdings are unclear in the marshlands. The Baron is the most powerful regional landowner, and although he is both wealthy and a conniving politician, he is not well liked. Lesser landowners, such as de la Roche, owe military service to le Roi, and this is generally as a supplement to the Baron's rather larger contribution (especially for local affairs such as protecting this particular part of Valon).
However, de la Roche does not pay rent to Richelieu.
At first Sir Zacharias thought to require his younger brother Robespierre to accompany him. Then the thought occured to him that when the Baron arrived, all the local landowners should be in place (especially Robespierre at Castle Mercedes), and that they would all affirm their military service whilst presenting the Baron with a fait accompli.
Also, to guard himself against any attempt to portray his recent actions as private warfare or rebellion, he sent many letters to le Roi, the Baron, local nobility, various Churchmen... pretty much everyone of note, claiming that Valon had been invaded by a vile (and heathen) Worm, that had affronted him personally by abducting his bride to be, and that he, Sir Zacharias, had taken up arms against it (and anyone abetting it, such as the Méchant family), to defend our fair Valon and win back his lady.

Then he rode to Bonneau.

Adan made his way to the island, buying passage on a boat. Adan may be able to shield his mind from the Dragon (he believes that he can), so he convinced the boatman that he was trysting with some lady.
He arrived on the evening of the 25/6, to discover that the islanders are heretics, though friendly.
Over the next few days he hunted the Dragon, and discovered a cavern beneath a great rock at the centre of the island. There were no tracks, smoke, skeletons of sheep, piles of treasure or maidens tied to stakes, but it was too quiet, and he felt that the Dragon was nearby and watching.

I looked for information about Dragons, and how people had defeated them. Castle de la Roche had one book of fanciful woodcuts, so I rode to Bonneau, arriving with Adan but several days earlier than Sir Zacharias and the knights.

22/6/1 070. In Bonneau I consulted the local Robbinians, minstrels, alchemists, and of course any collections of books that I could gain access to.

I offered Gere d'Elon (a young minstrel) the chance to accompany Sir Zacharias, to witness and sing his praises, in exchange for his dragonlore. Our first embedded bard!

The local alchemists would obtain 3 substances that I thought might be poison to this Dragon. It was 100' long, but decrepit and perhaps senile. It had used Silver to heal itself (as Dragons can), and can now fly, or transport itself, or at least transport its influence.
Sugar of Lead is a compound of Lead that is soluble in water. Alchemists use Lead to bind Silver (I am not sure how, or why, but I think that they extract it from Copper or Copper ore in this way). Sugar of Lead, if introduced into the Dragon's body on the end of a lance, diffuse into its blood, and bind the Silver. The Lead thing requires high temperatures, but this might be appropriate.
They also use a seaweed to remove metal poisons from themselves.

Alchemists have this habit of playing with Quicksilver.
Finally, there is rumoured to be a plant called Dragonsbane. The alchemists didn't have any, but it was reputed to grow in salt marshes. Adan knew of it. I think it works like the seaweed.
A young alchemist accompanied us, to obtain parts of the Dragon, should Sir Zacharias prevail.

§ Dragons can grow huge, and are not easily defeated (except, perhaps, by other Dragons). Furthermore their flame is not mere fire, but perhaps a manifestation or embodiment of their magic.
§ Knights who have defeated Dragons have used the lance, occasionally a magical sword, and (reading between the lines of old stories) bolt throwing artillery. Arrows such as those used to damage ships' rigging might damage a Dragon's wings (Sir Zacharias had stockpiled some already).
§ Dragons can read minds and work subtle magic.
§ One Dragon appeared to Giovanni the minstrel as an old man, who remembered events from 1 000 years ago, and wanted to hear them retold (and correct them). The minstrel lived, and noticed that the man left Dragon footprints as he departed. This particular Dragon was somewhat vain and perhaps lonely, and employed ILLUSION.
§ Many Dragons killed one another in the recent Great War. There are trophies, and it is said that Dragon scale (shields) protect from Dragonfire.

I also commisioned a local mechanician to produce a portable bolt throwing engine of great puissance. It would normally have cost 2 000 SP, but the man accepted the promise of upto 1 000 SP when Sir Zacharias arrived and some combination of payment later, the engine being returned afterwards, and acknowledgement as a great artificer.

Sir Zacharias arrived a few days later, and made his way to the castle. The Baron had gone to attend to troubles (the de la Roche seige) and had missed Sir Zacharias on the road. The city and barony was nominally in charge of his callow son Jacques, and practically in charge of a suspicious castelan. I had a private word with the latter, and persuaded him that the area had really been invaded by a Dragon, and that it would be in the Baron's interests to be seen to lend support (2 more engines that could be replaced by the mechanicians, paid from taxes), to help troublesome knights depart the city as soon as possible, and for the Baron to avoid public confrontation with Sir Zacharias until he knew what was happening.

Sir Zacharias gained the Baron's own machine, a lesser engine from the city, several more followers (leaving the city, he had himself, 5 of his knightly friends, de la Grande Fond and his 5 retainers, 1 local knight, Adan, and various local volunteers, sailors, alchemists, praise singers and myself).
He held a huge religious ceremony and party, recruited a handless thief (as bait, as much as an example, I suspect), and departed aboard the comandeered Swideur Vitesse (renamed Mercedes, and with a sacred spiral new-painted on her mainsail) before dawn of the 25/6. He has 2 large and 2 small bolt throwers, parts for a wooden horse, Adan's horse and various poisons aboard.

On the way, I obtained 1 small Dragonsbane plant. Only Sir Zacharias, myself, and the alchemist know of this. GOD will, if it pleases him, protect the knight and myself from the mind of the Dragon, and we drank the apprentice insensible as we approached the island.

28/6/1 070, evening. We landed on the island.
I noticed that the locals were heretics, and forced 3 ringleaders to drink holy wine. 1 vomited, so I had Sir Zacharias kill him. The others recanted. A week ago, something appeared as a Being of Light to the locals. They thought of it as GOD, and worshipped it. I am fairly sure that it was the Dragon, and that it has subverted their belief. This link is broken, but the Dragon must be aware of us.
I instructed the local peasants the GOD is not so easily recognised, and that Demons can deceive well enought to fool even a priest some of the time.
Meanwhile the knights moved things ashore, set the peasants to fortifying our position, and assembled a wooden horse (with the new engine concealed inside).