Theta Campaign - Return of the Dragon Queen – Episode 33 Pt. 2

Written by: Flamereptile

Written: 05/13/26

Theta Campaign - Return of the Dragon Queen – Episode 33 Pt. 2

This part of this week’s tale begins with the party flying up towards Sky’s Reach from the wreckage of the skyship.

*** Everyone ***

Quickly, those that had trailed behind Prinze caught up to him, as his broom was only capable of flying at a leisurely speed. They all made landfall upon Sky’s Reach, through the front gates before two Stone Giants, one male and one female. The two stood there, bickering with one another, holding their hands up to their heads, as a commoner would when their carriage crashes into that of nobleman.

The two looked down at the arriving group and dropped down to their knees, facing towards Prinze.

In a monotoned, droning voice, the man said, “Greetings my lord.” Holding the last few letters of lord far too long, “My apologies my lord. Hulda allowed the skyship to sneak up on us and take out the ballistae.”

“What do you mean I let them sneak up and take out the ballistae?” replied Hulda with venom in her voice.

Wincing at the proverbial poisoning, Wiglof continued, “Are you mad at us my lord?” again, holding onto the last word for far too long.

Beezul, gently sat Frank down next to his family and shouted out towards the giants, “Yeah he is! He’s mad at you both! You better start making amends before he gets any angrier!” before flying back off the edge of the Skyland to go retrieve Charlos.

Dread came over the faces of Wiglof and Hulda as they shifted from a kneel to prostrate, “Please my lord. Forgive us.”

“I’m not mad yet.” Said Prinze, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No my lord, the ballistae have been destroyed.” Wailed Wiglof.

“No, I mean are you okay? The ballistae can be replaced.” Replied Prinze.

“Yes my lord. Physically we are fine.” Wiglof and Hulda raised their heads at the generosity of the host of their lord.

Months ago, when Allistair, Beezul, Blinky, Maximus, and Prinze had stormed Sky’s Reach to kill another Oracle and Justiciar, Prinze had managed to release a fragment of Jotunn’s power from his wraps, using it to speak to the giants that were working with the cult at the time. With Jotunn’s aid, Prinze had convinced Blagothskul, Wiglof, Hulda, and nearly two dozen Ogres that he was the next incarnation of Jotunn on this plane. Little did Prinze know, he would not be deceiving them. Since that day, they have served Prinze faithfully, regardless of how ridiculous his requests may seem, though, occasionally they do cause him headaches.

“Is Blagothskul okay?” asked Prinze.

“No my lord. Lord Blagothskul has not been okay for many years now. He’s always holed up in his tower, grieving the loss of his wife.” Replied Wiglof.

“Physically?” asked Prinze, now becoming a bit irritated.

“Yes my lord. Lord Blagothskul is physically fine..” replied Wiglof, smug from Prinze’s irritation.

“Speaking of, what happened there?” asked Prinze, “He’s kind of always avoided the subject with me.”

“His wife died my lord. She was buried within this island.” Said Hulda.

“That sounds pretty normal.” Said Prinze.

“Then the island rose from the ground.” Said Wiglof.

“I don’t understand.” Said Prinze, “Her burial raise the island?”

“Yes my lord.” Said Wiglof, “She is the island.”

“That’s pretty big.” Said Prinze, “Was she fat?”

“She looked better in a dress than jeans my lord.” Replied Hulda.

A moment later, Beezul had returned with Charlos, carrying the unconscious tortle above his head.

“Where should I put this?” asked Beezul.

Prinze pointed off the side of the island, being under the impression that tortles were descendant from dragons, which in itself was not entirely inaccurate. Smugly, Beezul instead set him down on the ground.

“Were there any casualties in the attacks?” Prinze asked Wiglof and Hulda.

“Only a few Kobolds my l…”

“No, I said casualties.” Interrupted Prinze.

“No my lord.” Said Hulda.

“Good. Well, we have less of a problem now.” Said Prinze as sadness overcame Beezul.

On the plane of Elindor, most animals groups are gifted with unique nouns to differentiate them from one another. Some more common of these nouns include such groups as a colony of ants, a swarm of bees, a pack of dogs, and even a gaggle of geese. Some less commonly known of these groups may include a congress of babboons, a mob of kangaroos, or even a conspiracy of ravens. But amongst these terms, a problem of kobolds and an issue of goblins are some of the least known, yet most consistently used.

The midday sun shone overhead, cutting through the wafting cloud of dust and smoke and the thick cloud that had concealed the skyship above.

Beezul broken the momentary silence, asking, “Why did we come back here again?”

“To kill the greens.” Said Prinze, referring to the Oracle and Justiciar of the Verdant Faithful.

“To put Manticore Tor on the Skyland.” Said Allistair, “Which went poorly.”

“Speaking of the greens, how many of these guys have you killed so far?” asked Dolgrak.

“Well, we killed the bl…” began Prinze.

“The Oracle and Justiciar of the Night Faithful.” Interjected Allistair.

“Yeah, and the whi…” continued Prinze

“The Oracle and Justiciar of the Frost Faithful.” Again interjected Allistair.

“Twice. We killed them twice.” Said Prinze, eyeing Allistair, “But they wouldn’t stay dead. They came back after a few weeks.”

“I wonder if that has something to do with the onyx?” asked Allistair, “It seemed to kill Carl Wester after all.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Said Dolgrak, “Onyx interrupts spiritual connections. It would make sense that, if you stabbed him with a shard of onyx, he wouldn’t be able to regenerate or come back to life.”

Allistair, Alonzo, Beezul, and Prinze stared daggers at Dolgrak.

“How did you know that?” asked Prinze, “Where did you hire this guy? Was he a cultist?”

“Not as far as I know.” Said Alonzo, “He was a downtrodden pirate when I found him. Hired him to take over the skyship after it was taken over. Which failed.”

“I’m not a cultist.” Interjected Dolgrak, “I was a captive. I was a notorious captain with an immense bounty down in the Hollows. My ship was swept up in a magical storm, upon one of the great lakes, and we were ejected to the surface. My ship and crew were destroyed when we arrived.”

“What was the name of your ship?” asked Prinze.

Dolgrak became silent for a moment before continuing, “The cult found me and took me in as a slave, but I broke free. Alonzo found me in a tavern right after I escaped. I learned about the onyx thing while I was a captive.”

“A likely story.” Said Prinze.

“Honestly! I hate the cult as much as you do.” Replied Dolgrak.

“Not likely.” Said Prinze, “How do I know you’re not a spy?”

“If I were a spy, why would I hide in a barrel the last four days?” asked Dolgrak.

“Fitting into barrels comfortably for long periods of time is a useful skill. Maybe you were practicing.” Said Prinze.

Dolgrak shook his head in frustration, “If you’re looking to mess up the cult, I’m down. I want to join.”

“We’ll see about that, but we can always use another pair of hands to kill dragons.” Said Prinze, his tone lightening, “Sometimes we make money doing it too.”

“Even better.” Said Dolgrak.

“One time, I was charged with stealing a dragon’s hoard that was made from the stolen money from a nearby town. I didn’t do it, but the town thought I had their money.” Said Prinze, trying to get a reaction from Dolgrak.

Dolgrak simply nodded.

A few moments of silence passed before Dolgrak asked, “So do you guys actually own this place? Or are you just squatters?”

Prinze, shocked by this question, especially in front of Wiglof and Hulda, turned and walked off. Alonzo, Wiglof, and Hulda followed behind.

Beezul, stuttered and mumbled for a moment before grabbing the now conscious Charlos by the arm, saying, “Charlos, let me show you to the kitchens.”

Allistair, disinterested in this whole affair, turned towards the Swift family and departed, helping them to move Frank to another part of the island.

Dolgrak stood there in silence for several minutes, without an answer to his question.

*** Alonzo & Prinze ***

Prinze, followed by Alonzo, Wiglof, and Hulda, crossed the distance between the front gates and the grand staircase of the lower level of Sky’s Reach. Opting to not physically climb the stairs, he mounted his broom and effortlessly bypassed them. Alonzo activated his cloak, following in tow, while Wiglof and Hulda easily strode up the massive stairs.

Hanging a left at the top, Prinze waited for Wiglof to open the massive doors to Blagothskul’s tower. The tower itself was easily a hundred feet tall, being constructed of large gray bricks, but at its pinnacle the tower was cloaked in crystalline growths. Prinze had never paid the odd location of these crystals much mind as, once the doors were opened, he was usually more concerned with the climb ahead of him.

Of course, Prinze never actually climbed the massive, giant-sized spiral stairs, even if there was a smaller humanoid staircase built into the inner radius. Prinze again mounted his broom, flying straight up towards Blagothskul’s chambers at the top. Alonzo, again, followed behind.

Wiglof and Hulda sighed at one another due to the impending climb. This new master of theirs was certainly spirited, but he did not seem to pay mind to the expenditure of their efforts while serving him. They began to follow behind at a much slower pace.

Reaching the top, Prinze waited a few moments before the exasperated Wiglof emerged upon the staircase below. He gave Wiglof a moment to catch his breath before he gestured towards the door for Wiglof to open.

By no means was Prinze lazy, and Wiglof understood this, and were Prinze capable he would certainly open the doors for himself. The problem simply came about because, while Prinze was nearly eight feet tall and strapped with lean muscle, many of the doors upon Sky’s Reach were built for giants, being, often 20 feet tall or taller and carved from dense, flexible stone.

Wiglof opened the door for Prinze and took a step back before lowering himself to one knee. By this point, Hulda had joined him at the top of the stairs, taking a knee beside him.

“My lord Blagothskul, my lord Prinze is here to speak with you.”

Beyond the door, standing within a room that was overgrown with clear quartz crystal, and hunched over a massive crystalline monitor, was a Cloud Giant, one who towered above both Wiglof and Hulda, even while hunched over.

Blagothskul turned and lowered himself to one knee, saying, “My lord Jotunn. I am pleased that you have come to visit me.” He rose again after his introduction, “What brings you, and your new friend, to my chambers today? How may I be of assistance to you?”

“How is everything Blagothskul?” asked Prinze.

“Things could be far worse given the circumstances.” Replied Blagothskul, “Sky’s Reach was, fortunately, only disarmed in the attack, and the only casualties we sustained were Kobolds, which lessens our growing problem. The attack did, unfortunately, destroy all of our ballistae and rocks.”

“They destroyed the rocks? Like, you mean the throwing rocks? The messaging system rocks? The…” Prinze lowered his tone to a whisper, “getting rid of people we don’t like rocks?”

“The very ones my lord. It would be wise, next time we make landfall, to harvest new rocks and purchase some armaments for Sky’s Reach.” Replied Blagothskul.

“Can’t you just use the rubble?” asked Prinze.

“We could my lord, but rubble does not make an effective or reliable tool when fending off attackers, or sending messages.” Replied Blagothskul, appalled at the mere suggestion of replacing a noble stone with mere rubble.

Now, long ago, in the ages of Dragons and Giants, the Giants of Elindor discovered that there was scarcely a more effective, or versatile, tool than a large boulder. They could be easily pulled from the ground and rounded to make perfect throwing stones, which only increased their value and versatility. In a pinch, or in order to make a point, a large boulder could be thrown towards an enemy, or somebody you wanted to make your enemy. But beyond simple weapons, boulders made even more effective methods of communication.

Should a boulder be inscribed with a few simple runes, which were actually stolen from Giantkind by the Dwarves after the first war of Dwarves and Giants, it could be made to not only carry messages, but also made to fly forward in a direction controlled manner. Should a Giant wish to send a message, all they needed to do was inscribe it with a few runes and throw it. The boulder would then, reliably, be delivered to its recipient. After all, it was difficult to intercept and alter a message when it weighed several thousand pounds and was flying through the air at speeds which could, at times, break the sound barrier.

Funny enough, after inscribing and throwing a large enough boulder, to a target not suspecting one, it would in fact deliver more than one message at the same time.

“What about if we find a market to purchase some siege weapons and boulders? We could kill two stones with one bird? Don’t we have some money in the treasury?” asked Prinze.

“I could hook you up.” Interjected Alonzo.

Prinze and Blagothskul stopped and stared at Alonzo for a moment before Blagothskul broke the silence, “My pardon my lord, but was this a friend of yours or did you bring it up here for me to take care of for you?”

“That’s still to be determined, but what do you mean you can hook us up?” replied Prinze before turning to Alonzo to inquire.

“I know a guy. In the capitol.” Said Alonzo.

“And he can get us some of the good stuff?” asked Prinze, “You know, weapons that can knock dragons from the sky, and tear the wings from dragons, and… slay dragons?”

“Yep.” Replied Alonzo, “I know a guy.”

“How much money do we still have in the treasury?” asked Prinze hastily.

“We still have around one hundred twenty gold coins.” Replied Blagothskul, “Surely enough to get my lord whatever he pleases. But remember, my lord, that since your arrival, gold has only come out of the treasury. Should you spend recklessly, which I have no doubt you will be conscious of,” Blagothskul’s tone took one of subtle sarcasm, “we would not be able to support our population with the necessary food, water, and supplies it would need to continue your operations.”

“Plus, I don’t think a hundred twenty will cut it for what you’re looking for.” Said Alonzo.

“Oh, no I don’t think we need to worry about either of those.” Said Prinze, “Think of this as an investment in the skyland. The better armed we are, the easier we can slay dragons. The easier we can slay dragons, the more dragon hoards we can loot. And the more dragon hoards we loot, the more we can replenish the treasury. Also, “Prinze looked towards Alonzo, “Each gold coin is the size of a manhole cover. I think they’re valued around five thousand gold pieces each.”

Alonzo began to salivate a little at the prospect of over six hundred thousand gold pieces somewhere on this island.

“In that case, my lord, reaching the capitol will take about two days.” Said Blagothskul.

“Sweet!” said Prinze, “I’ll have some time to train.”

“Is there a fat fuck here?” asked Alonzo.

“You mean a Wester?” replied Prinze, “Yeah, we have Neal, but I don’t think he leaves the kitchen unless it’s to sleep, and I think he sleeps at the bar half of the time.”

Alonzo nodded. Prinze stared back at him for a moment, then shrugged, and the two left Blagothskul’s tower.

*** Beezul ***

Beezul, holding Charlos by his large, scaly arm, lead him across the lower level of Sky’s Reach towards the kitchens. Squeezing through the almost too narrow doors, Charlos’ eyes grew wide, not simply at the inefficiency and state of disarray of the kitchen, but at the potential. With a little bit of work, and after whipping these Kobolds into shape, Charlos could turn this space into, not only a serviceable dining facility, but a fine dining facility.

Beezul, however, did not see the same potential as Charlos. He strode into the kitchen, Charlos trailing behind him, and saw what he normally did: A large tavern-like space that had been thrown into sheer chaos by the Kobolds that typically ran rampant within. Oh, and Neal was there too, Beezul couldn’t overlook him, being the largest creature in the room.

Neal Wester was a youthful member of the illustrious Wester family, sent as an envoy by the Council of Westers to Sky’s Reach to “advise” the operations here. The Wester family held great power within the coastlands, being believed to secretly control many of the governments across Valdaria. Not so secretly, however, they did. There was a Wester installed into power in nearly every Valdarian territory, town, and village.

The Westers themselves, or at least their ruling cast, were well known for their immense sizes and grotesque gluttony. Often taking the bloated, bulbous forms of humans that had long ago lost their abilities to walk, and generally care for themselves for that matter.

Neal, although on a diplomatic mission for the council to persuade the denizens of Sky’s Reach to install a councilor as an advisor, had grown quite distracted with the unusual and exotic foods offered within the Sky’s Reach Kitchen, and unbeknownst to Neal, his distraction was about to grow drastically once Charlos had restructured the Sky’s Reach Kitchen.

Beezul was quite fond of the chaos of the kitchen, however, as, not so long ago, Beezul himself was a lowly Kobold. He had bonded with the freed Kobold slaves, after Beezul had helped to purge the cult from Sky’s Reach, and quite enjoyed their chaos.

“Alright everyone!” shouted Beezul, “This is Charlos. He’s an actual chef! He’s going to take over here, so listen to him closely.”

Three Kobolds, who had been holding a fourth beneath the surface of a pot of nearly boiling liquid in order to fish out a lost ladle, turned and hopped down from the counter they were standing on. The Kobold in the pot floated to the top, snout down, and unmoving for a moment before bursting upwards holding the once lost ladle and shouting in victory. Three more Kobolds, who had been having a knife throwing competition with the butcher’s knives, dropped their knives and approached Beezul and Charlos. Nine other Koblds stopped in their chaotic activities, whether it be riding a spinning fan, carving an old turnip, or napping within the salad bar, to join their brethren before Beezul and Charlos.

Charlos stared down at the sixteen kobolds before him, assessing each one. Evaluating their potential. He finally said, “Give me a week to whip them into shape and get this place fixed up and it’ll be like a whole new restaurant.”

Beezul nodded, “I knew you would like this place.”

*** Allistair ***

Allistair carefully lead the Swift family up the stairs to the second level of Sky’s Reach, taking them to a trio of dome-shaped huts on its port side.

“You all can stay here while on the Skyland. I don’t think anybody will bother you, except for maybe the vampire. Just make sure you’re in before nightfall and you don’t inviter her, or her children, inside.” Said Allistair.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Asked Frank, “Not that anywhere’s safe these days.”

“Probably.” Said Allistair, “Probably safer than the ground where the cultists are running rampant.”

Frank shrugged, “I s’pose so.”

“You and Linda can stay in this house, it’s a little bare bone, but next time we make landfall I can work on getting it furnished for you. And you children can stay in the home next door. Your only neighbor will be Skjalvarn. He’s a Frost Giant we picked up a few weeks ago. He shouldn’t bother you, aside from making the common wall between your houses a little colder.”

Linda reached forwards and hugged Allistair, “Thank you for saving us and letting us stay here while my husband recovers.”

Allistair, not used to physical contact, or affection for that matter, simply nodded. Once he was free of her grasp he said, “Just call on me if anything happens and I’ll come as quick as I can.”

*** Alonso ***

Alonzo, who had dropped Jessica off at the kitchens for a hot meal and drink before joining Prinze in Blagothskul’s Tower, returned to the Sky’s Reach Kitchen to check on her. She sat there at the bar, draped in her cloak, eating beside a rather plump young man. The two seemed to be enjoying each other’s company, so Alonzo slinked out just as quickly as he had entered.

Having discussed with Prinze on their way back to the main stretch of Sky’s Reach, Alonzo made his way to the stables. Prinze had mentioned that nothing actually lived there, except for an occasional Ogre, and that he could use it for whatever he wanted, as long as he didn’t destroy it.

Alonzo thought Sky’s Reach was, by its very nature, an odd place, but the structures on Sky’s Reach tended to throw him off. He had observed that, typically, there were three types of structures on Sky’s Reach: domes, towers, and wildcard buildings.

Blagothskul lived within the tallest tower on the Skyland, but the largest towers had recently housed two massive ballistae, located on either side of the front gates to the Skyland. He had also seen two other towers, jutting from the central mound on the upper level. One was apparently vacant, and the other had recently been reconstructed. Prinze had said only to go into that one at his own risk.

Aside from the towers, domes were the most common structure on Sky’s Reach. There were three on the port side of the upper level, large enough to house a single giant, or a whole family of humanoids. One of them, allegedly, was the home to a Frost Giant that Prinze had employed recently, but it had not come out of its dome in quite some time. Near the stern of the Skyland was a massive dome, home to the Stone Giants Wiglof and Hulda. Alonzo was weary of the giants of this island, so he opted to steer clear of their dome.

Alonzo wondered if the large mound of earth within the center of the upper level of Sky’s Reach was the home to an even larger giant? Perhaps it was slumbering until Prinze called upon it?

While the towers and domes of Sky’s reach seemed like they appropriately adorned the surface of the Skyland, the third type of structure was certainly man made, jutting from its stretches like cuboidal sores.

The Ogre Barracks and the stables were both stacked stone buildings, unincorporated into the walls or structures of Sky’s Reach, simply sticking out of its flat surface like a tumor. Alonzo had not yet visited the Ogre’s Barracks, but due to the smell that emanated around it, he was unlikely to do so. To his surprise, however, the stables did not smell foul.

Although the structure itself was an eyesore, it seemed sturdy and clean enough. To Alonzo, it appeared as if it had been built with the intention of housing livestock, but it was never used for that purpose. It even had over a dozen piles of fresh straw stacked up inside.

Alonzo brushed aside one of the stacks and began constructing a small shrine. It wasn’t so much a religious shrine, but a safe point in which he could return in an emergency using a word of recall. If Alonzo was anything, he was prepared.

That is where this part of this week’s tale ends, and the next part will begin.