In a flurry of movement Swift Snake finds himself racing to the river. He braces for the impact with the Golden River’s cold waters and narrowly manages to take a big breath before going under the waves.

Outside the water he can hear screams and struggle, the sound of wood breaking and scrapping on rocks, but underneath him the Dragon lies still, as if trying to hide, either ignoring the lithe monk or hoping that the river’s cold embrace can succeed where his brute force so far has failed.

“What a magnificent beast!” he finds himself thinking, admiring the magnificent serpent. “Well, you seem to not favor words, spirit, let’s see how you react to actions.” 

Swift Snake uncovers the spearhead and with the practiced grace of an experienced fisher brings it to bear on the right side of the Dragon where its neck should have been, had it got one. “This should help me cling on.” He flattens his body against the dragon’s scull. “Desist Spirit; don’t fall into the vice of Fire…as I did earlier”
With his free hand he gives two swift blows to the dragon’s scull.

Despite the dragons attempts to again rock the boat Hon Yin stands resolute. Raising his spear he calls out to the spirit. "I gave you one chance and you have squandered it. I will not waste my breath with more words." He begins chanting, the runes carved along the shaft of his weapon glowing faintly as he does, before a silvery radiance envelops the tip of the spear and white-hot flames lance out towards the dragon.

Initiative Order and Status



Notes:

• If a character is holding a pole in hand, they may make a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to push the boat to the left or right 10 feet. If a character beats this check by 5+, they may push the boat an additional 5 feet, and the same for 10+.
• Pulling oneself up onto the boat from the river is a DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check unless the character is at the opening in the gunwale (if it is opened), which is currently at J-9 (moving on the grid as appropriate). In that case, the check is DC 10.
• Each of the crew members have particular ways in which they can contribute. Their loyalty to the adventurers affects their choices.

Chen Wu frows when he fails to help Mad Mei climb back to the boat due to another wave thrown by the Dragon. "Well, I guess we can't delay this forever..." He walks towards the edge of the bolt and, as he walks past her, speaks to Zheng Sao. "Go help your sister, captain. We'll try to do something about this beast." He grabs in his ammo box a crystalline bullet that exhale a thin white mist and recharges his pistol. "Oh lord of the river, we expected you to be a more pleasant host. How disappointing this experience is being." The sorcerer says to the Dragon before shooting a ray of pure ice at it.

The beam of energy pierces through the water, leaving beads of ice in its wake. It strikes the dragon and a thin layer of frost spreads across scales where the spell hit. It growls in anger and a wave of water rises up and slams into Chen Wu. He falls to his feet and some of the crates creak against the soaked ropes.

The boat slams into another large rock in the river. The sound of cracking wood is grotesque.

Seeing the sorcerer's fall, the dragon rushes out of the water, Swift Snake still clinging to it. It rears up and snaps at Chen Wu. The pain of the bite's wound is almost numbed by the simultaneous cool of mountain water.

Chen Wu is dealt 3 bludgeoning damage.
The boat is dealt 17 bludgeoning damage.
Chen Wu is dealt 4 piercing damage and 2 cold damage.

It is now Sai Yun's turn.

Sai sees his chance to take the fight to the dragon and takes it. He let's go of the pole and draws one of his wide, slashing blades. He whispers a prayer to the council and the weapon takes on a faint glow. He the runs and launches himself over the side to latch onto the warm and meet him in battle.

Sai Yun runs across the boat, leaps on top of the crates, and then leaps again onto the dragon. The dragon roars and another wave of water rises up and slams into the disrespectful men, but they remain stable.

Fai Wa attempts to push the still-groaning boat off the rocks but the boat doesn't budge against the dragon's form. His way blocked by Mei and crates, Thu focuses on helping Mad Mei up. He is getting tired though. Charopos finally makes back on the boat. Panting, he looks around quickly.

It is now Swift Snake's turn.

If one could see Swift Snake's golden eyes, he would see the intensity of his concentration, cold water and his companions blood splash toward his way but he remains focused. Taking small controlled breaths he prepares to strike now that he has his chance out of the water. With a hissing sound like a snake as the only warning to the dragon he unleashes a flurry of vicious blows on the dragon's scull and neck trying to take his attention away from the sorcerer. First comes the blow to the wounded side of the neck with his spear trying to bury itself where it has already spread the scales apart, followed by the blows to the scull, this time without the water hampering the lithe monks movements.

"Desist spirit!" he says after the flurry of blows.

Then he lowers himself on the dragon's form and whispers to it
"I am the last descendant of the Tetsuya family. I have no quarrel with you mighty spirit lord but I am honor bound to defend my companions. Desist and I will make sure my companion never traverses your river without permission. This I swear to you spirit as the last of my family, in the name of my ancestors and in the name of my heirs to come."

In all this Swift Snake's blades are still tucked in his obi and he has made no move to get to them.

The dragon roars and the water around the boat begin to bubble and froth. Even as it continues to glower at Chen Wu, the dragon hisses, "Abomination. You corrupt men of the gods to do your bidding even as you corrupt my waters. It rears back and rumbles, "This evil is too great for a lowly dragon such as I. I can can only hope justice finds you all in time and withdraw my river's blessing." The boat begins to shudder violently against the rocks. The bow begins to pitch upward and the whole vessel sinks at the same time, as though the water around the boat were rapidly lowering.

At the same time, Mad Mei finally climbs aboard, with help from her sister. Hearing the dragon's words and feeling the boat's imbalance, Zheng Sao looks up in alarm.

It is now Hon Yin's turn.

Growing quickly tired of both the dragon's temper and it's words - not to mention the foul taste attempting to kill a spirit was leaving in his mouth - Hon Yin steps forward, moving in front of the dragon, and lowers his spear. "You speak in riddles dragon! We are not your enemies - we fight only because you force our hand! You are the protector of this river? So protect it! What evil do you speak off? What profanity? How can we reach accord when we know not our crimes? Enlighten us spirit - show us where we have erred."

"Do you truly not know the evil you all have aligned with?" rumbles the dragon. It looks back and forth among the soaked and harassed men and women. "Fools, blind and deaf, unable to taste the corruption of the very air around them. Tools of dishonor." The dragon pauses, and the boat simultaneously stops sinking. "Perhaps you can be my tools instead. Promise to free my river and destroy the dam at Goldspill and I will allow your passage."

It is now Chen Wu's turn.

A sigh of relief comes from Chen Wu whe he notices the dragon is starting to become more reasonable. "And what awaits for us in the dam, dragon? Is it guarded?"

Sai, his blades still humming, sits on the back of the dragon in perfect stillness, waiting for an answer.